Essay on "American Beauty Lester Burnham, the Main Character"

Essay 4 pages (1369 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

American Beauty Lester Burnham, the main character in American Beauty, is responsible for the choices that he makes, this being one of the most important themes in the film. While he initially feels that his condition was made possible as a result of a series of unfortunate circumstances, it is him who actually chose to be the person he is and have the life that he has. The choices that he made across his life practically made him the prisoner of his own story. There is nothing personal about Lester. He is uninteresting and similar to many other simple people who are scared to do something to improve their lives. It is very probable that he is in this condition because he was too scared to act across the forty-two years he spent chasing the American Dream.

The fact that he masturbates on a regular basis in spite of having a wife serves is meant to emphasize his isolation from the outside world. Lester's sexuality is actually the very thing that saves him from posing in someone that he is not. His attraction to Angela pulls him out of his confined world and makes him observe reality. Lester's struggle to attract Angela can be considered a campaign of self-discovery, given that he changes his personality and abandons previous conceptions in his quest. It is eventually revealed that, in order to rediscover himself, Lester needed to employ an adolescent's view in regard to life.

No Country for Old Men While one might be inclined to consider that this film puts across yet another account concerning violence, bounty hunters, and drug-related concepts as a whole, the film is actually meant to address more complex ideas. One of the most important elements in the motion picture deals with people wanting to get rich over night without experiencing difficulty doing so. One of Llewelyn Moss' first thoughts at the point when he finds the money is related to him no longer being bounded by financial problems. This reaction is frequently seen in people consequent to spending most of their lives working for a miserable salary. Moss simply wanted a way out and the two million dollars provided him with the perfect opportunity to escape depression. He did not stand to think about the complications that might arrive along with such a large sum of money or about the consequences of taking drug money. It was as if he was willing to risk anything in order to get a chance at changing his lifestyle.

The film brings on a moral dilemma and has viewers identify with Moss at the time when he takes the money. After all…it is what most individuals would do if they were to find themselves in such circumstances. One's own well-being seems to be more important than the well-being of a Mexican drug dealer in need of water. It is thus difficult to determine whether Moss should be condemned for his deed or not. Either way, karma gets back at him at the point where he exposes himself by returning to the crime scene.

Full Metal Jacket Dehumanization is one of the primary messages that Stanley Kubrick intended to transmit through this film. The Vietnam War setting provided him with the perfect opportunity to present the world with the effects that war has on people. While private "Joker" seems prepared to deal with any situation at first, regardless of its gravity, it is later revealed that nothing and no one could prepare an individual for warfare. The character of Leonard Lawrance is particularly illustrative regarding this. Although he did not actually reach the front line, Gomer Pyle (as the commander nicknamed him) saw army training from a first-person perspective and was severely affected by his experiences in the army.

Whereas the gunnery sergeant's attitude seems typical at first, his severity is gradually revealed and perfectly manages to present viewers with the dehumanizing process that he is in charge of. It appears that the sergeant is insensible to the suffering of his men, as training is presumably meant to prepare them for the war zone. Pyle… READ MORE

How to Reference "American Beauty Lester Burnham, the Main Character" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

American Beauty in Regard to the Reality Essay

American Beauty in Regard to the Reality of Life

Sam Mendes' 1999 motion picture American Beauty puts across a series of concepts regarding a typical suburban American lifestyle, normal problems… read more

Essay 4 pages (1263 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

American Art John Gadsby Chapman Research Paper

John Vanderlyn, "The Landing of Columbus"

1. John Vanderlyn depicts Christopher Columbus's crew from the Santa Maria finally reaching land in the West Indies. The men are weary from their… read more

Research Paper 5 pages (1398 words) Sources: 5 Topic: American History / United States

---

American Foreign Policy Since Its Inception Term Paper

American Foreign Policy

In his farewell address, given to Congress on September 17, 1796, the father of the country, George Washington warned his fellow Americans against "the insidious wiles of… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1508 words) Sources: 3 Topic: American History / United States

---

Diary of Main Character of a Book Term Paper

Diary of a Main Character

The Diary of Laura Finnegan from Bittersweet Sixteen

September 10th know I should feel lucky to be at Tate. it's a great school, will give… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (712 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA Topic: Fashion / Designers / Beauty

---

Lord of the Flies Main Characters, Setting Essay

Lord of the Flies

Main characters, setting, plot, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.

The four main characters

The main characters -- Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon -- play… read more

Essay 9 pages (3244 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>