American Beauty is a clever and dynamic film that uses the strengths and weaknesses of its characters to examine American society and culture while at same time, exploring existential ideas of truth, Beauty, existence, happiness, life and Death. Director Sam Mendes described the script as, Writer Alan Ball wove into the intricate strings of this film an argument against Beauty as it maintained by popular culture and the commercial interests of our society. Ball pushes beyond the face of first impressions, through the thick skin of outside appearances, and dives deep into the heart and minds of his characters. Ball forces us to see beyond physical presence of the characters on screen; we are forced to see the person that exists on the inside. We see Lester and his inner struggle with happiness and with h is place in the world. We see beyond Janes adolescent tendencies, beyond her bitter and angry defenses and into her deep insecurities and gentle vulnerabilities. Looking past the quiet and aloof nature of Ricky, we see his calm and understanding insight, his confident and accepting view of the world around him. American Beauty is in many ways a direct contradiction to what society generally defines as American Beauty. Beauty in America today has become a continual perpetuation of a superficial and materialistic sense of physical Beauty that dictates a compliance with an increasingly singular aesthetic standard.
Psychologists who examine biology to explain the differences between men's and women's attitudes toward sex connect men's greater concern with a partner's appearance to the evolutionary imperative to carry on the species: Men are seeking sex with a woman young enough to bear children. Women, on the other hand, look to a man's status (often indistinguishable i n our society from his bank account) to ensure protection while bearing and caring for the next generation. Though it may preserve elements of our evolutionary past, sexual attraction is more influenced by current cultural standards, and it is not difficult to see where the societys aesthetic standard becomes a problem when that standard is Barbie. Women are incessantly faced with messages and images that paint a distinct picture of what beautiful is in our society. Every media outlet in our society conveys and reinforces the value of Beauty, for both men and women, and offers an unending array of means to this superficial and glorified end. Yet this ideal is evasive and unattainable; those who pursue it find themselves unfulfilled by the shallowness of something so superficial and intangible. Today, 47% of American women of healthy body weight consider themselves to be too fat, allowing themselves to fall victim to a socially constructed, unrealistic standard of Beauty (Wall Street Journal). Pressures to conform to the standards set forth by popular culture and the media weigh heavily upon society, children and adolescents in particular.
We live in a culture where Beauty is equated by waist size, skin complexion and hair color. We are faced with countless examples daily of what should be considered beautiful and what is necessary to achieve this standard. Yet this superficial ideal lacks the dynamic and insight to examine the intrinsic value of the people and the world around us. We are losing sight of true Beauty, the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit . The emphasis on a singular, narrowly-defined aesthetic standard fails to illicit the pleasure of mind or sprit that we can take from seeing the intrinsic all around us. Allen Ball shows us this with the brilliance and insight set forth in American Beauty. Believing that
Ball is simply trying to coax us into opening our eyes and seeing the Beauty that already exists in the world and the people around us. We just have to look deep enough inside to see it.
The article was produced by the writer of masterpapers.com. Sharon White is a senior writer and writers consultant at term papers. Get some useful tips for thesis writing and term paper writing .
Author:: Sharon White
Keywords:: Beauty, Death
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