After watching the movie American Beauty, many themes jumped out at me and caught my attention. I chose to talk about a very central theme that appears in many American creative works. Appearance versus reality is a very recognized theme in many movies, plays, novels, etc. Many people may judge another person by their exterior, which could be very different than their interior. Judging or assuming something about a person just by their physical appearance can be very misleading, as in the movie American Beauty. The film American Beauty portrays that appearance versus reality is a mistake many people make and we should pay more attention between the two, so we are not fooled.
The movie American Beauty shows a typical, middle class suburban American home with a happy family that lives in it. From the outside, the family looks like a happy, well off family with very little problems to deal with. Caroline, the mother, has a great job as a real estate agent and drives a silver Mercedes jeep. From the outside, she dresses classy and elegantly and is made up perfectly. She looks like a very happy middle-aged woman who enjoys life. Deep down, Caroline faces many serious problems. Her real estate job is the world to her and when she goes for something she has to get it done to make herself feel complete. If she doesnt reach her goal, she falls apart emotionally and physically. A perfect example of this is in the beginning of the movie, when Caroline was showing a house and she told herself she just had to sell it. When no offers were made for the house, she broke down standing next to the door and just sobbed because she felt incomplete since she didnt meet her personal goal. Just one little setback and she felt the world had ended. Caroline has to have everything perfect, set to her standards and if everything doesnt work clockwork she will fall apart. Family dinners, cleaning the house, her job, her husband, and thousands of little things has to be perfect to Caroline, and if it isnt, her life will fall apart.
