Introduction and thesis statement:
One may see beauty in several forms but essentially this is how we perceive others in our own light. McCuen Metherell and Winkler advise that one can take a story regarding a film as a typical example and look at the diverse aspects of beauty as perceived here (McCuen Metherell, Winkler Ch 10). Although American Beauty is a film which may perhaps not fit the bill perfectly in this respect, the authors in the book will most certainly appreciate the techniques and skills which are used to focus on beauty as an intrinsic natural issue.
A typical example would be when one person falls in love with someone who outwardly appears ugly and who is not beautiful or pretty. However that person may have an inner beauty which is not visible from the outside and which will have attracted the other person to it in this regard. This happens many a time especially with regards to age gaps and other issues which may appear to keep a couple apart.
Another similar issue is taste for certain hobbies or art. Some traditionalist persons see modern art as something which is despicable and is without any form of artistic expression while others enjoy it and find artistic inspiration in it. Why is this so? Principally due to the fact that as already argued beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Now there are several cases and issues when beauty is a common theme and which is perceived by millions to be living and ever present. This can refer to religion, a beautiful building and other examples such as a full life and fine dining. For example one cannot argue that Angelina Jolie is a beautiful woman as that is a fact. If one would state that she is ugly then that is an untruth as it would be denying a fact.
As a typical example where beauty is in the eye of the beholder I will take the film American Beauty which contains several important pressure points where beauty is ob served by some while to others it is simply not there.
American Beauty is a fine film which demonstrates the mid life crisis a person goes through when his/her marriage is failing and an affair is entered into. It contains some typical embodiments of the American dream as well as some materialistic aspects which continue to dominate the plot like a leitmotif during the film. Obviously there are comparisons and contrasts as both parents played well by Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning, the latter in the role of the materialistic wife Jane. Ultimately Lester Burnham who is the main character in the film has an affair with a cheerleader friend of his daughter who is played by Thora Birch and this is all preceded by considerable sexual fantasies where the rose petals which appear on the front of the film’s poster are a recurring motif. The intricacies of the film are further exacerbated by the tragic ending of suicide where Lester finally is at peace with himself.
The main characters, Lester and Angela end up together towards the end of the film where they almost have sex but eventually it does not happen when Lester finds out that she is still a virgin. This part of the film is particularly poignant as it indicates a sort of coming together for Lester who realizes that he has lost everything and nothing will be the same again. Jane’s relationship with Ricky is also a spur to Lester to begin working out and also smoking marijuana, a ridiculous assertion for a middle aged man who cannot admit that he is on the wane. Carolyn’s affair with a wealthy businessman is a further spur to Lester to continue his dissolute life and eventually face reality. The character’s complex relationships and the plots and subplots are part and parcel of the film which continues to receive moderate to positive reviews in this sense. I particularly enjoy the final scene where the gunshot sound is heard and it appears that all is over, it is a very poignant episode which conveys failed dreams and utter hopelessness although the final note does offer some form of redemption.
On the whole the film has been viewed positively although Wayne C Booth has argued that the film does defy any sort of interpretation (Booth, 2002, p 124-131) He also argues that there is an element of satire on what actually is rather wrong with American life especially the infidelity, drug taking and the constant slaving for money. The film can also be seen as a mixture of love stories, all with their own particular gist and all turning rather sour in the end. Booth is intrigued by the parallels one can find in real human lives and as the film develops he begins to see everything in this light (Booth 2002, p 124-131). Obviously the film is not perfect in that sense but it develops extremely well especially in the episodes where everything seems to be coming to a head but then eventually does not due to extraneous factors and a sequence of events.
Kenneth Turan and Gary Hentzi also have words of praise for the characters although the latter does acknowledge that some of them are stereotypes although the acting is something which he holds in high regard also (Turan 1999, Hentzl 2000, p 50). The aspect of beauty is something which also springs to mind in this respect as discussed by McCuen Metherell, Winkler in Readings for Writers.
The directors have been rather unclear on their actual plot and script of the film even in post film interviews. What can definitely be said however is that the film has no real unifying influence but is rather a collection of plots and subplots which develop independently of one another but are also tied together too. Other commentators have noted excessive editing and different scenes with the end product showing a bit of a disjointed feel. However when the film is good, it ends up to be very good especially in the seminal scene between Lester and Angela towards the end.
In ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King, Mcuen Metherell and Winkler observe that Luther King demonstrated a flair and understanding for bringing out what is beautiful and which to others may appear to be ugly. Luther King uses his own writing skilfully to reach a climax especially when his text reaches an apex such as the line ‘Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, we are free at last’ (King p 1)
Another part of the speech is also very beautiful and shows that there is hope even in fear:
“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. (King, I Have a Dream, Retrieved from: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm)
Further short stories which deal with the theme of beauty in the eye of the beholder and which are mentioned in the book include: The Waltz, by Dorothy Parker. Remarks on the Life of Sacco and on His Own Life and Execution by Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Salvation, by Langston Hughes. Here each of the themes focuses on particular aspects of beauty which can be seen in different perspectives and the writing of this text creates a sense of suspense and beauty although this may not always be perceived immediately.
Conclusion
Each short story mentioned and especially I Have a Dream demonstrates that beauty is really in the eye of the beholder. MLK saw beauty in suffering while Hughes demonstrated that life can also be bearable if death is observed as beautiful. On a personal note I manage to see beauty in those issues which are not always immediately apparent and as time goes by, one’s appreciation of beauty becomes ever much deeper and more focused on reality.
McCuen Metherell and Winkler also focus on the aspect of beauty in the short story The Waltz by Dorothy Parker. The word beauty here may be used contextually and is not always intrinsically consistent with the plot but there are obviously various types of beauty which we may not always observe at first glance but nonetheless are there just the same. The film American Beauty is also an excellent example of viewing beauty from the eye of the beholder.
Works Cited:
McCuen Metherell, Winkler; Readings for Writers 13th Edition New York, Wadsworth 2010. Print
Luther King M; ‘I Have a Dream’ 1963 Retrieved from: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
Dorothy Parker; The Waltz,.Bartolomeo Vanzetti Remarks on the Life of Sacco and on His Own Life and Execution. Langston Hughes; Salvation.
All taken from: McCuen Metherell, Winkler; Readings for Writers 13th Edition New York, Wadsworth 2010 Print
Turan, Kenneth (September 15, 1999). "American Beauty: The Rose's Thorns". Los Angeles Times.
Hentzi, Gary (Winter 2000). "American Beauty". Film Quarterly (Berkeley, California: University of California Press): 46–50. doi:10.1525/fq.2000.54.2.04a00060. ISSN 0015-1386.
Booth, Wayne C. (Spring 2002). "Is There an 'Implied' Author in Every Film?". College Literature (West Chester, Pennsylvania: West Chester University): 124–131. ISSN 0093-313
American Beauty, Directed by Sam Mendes, Warner Pictures
