Question

In the scene from American Beauty, observe the family dynamic and specifically the competition of dominance. Answer the following questions in 3-7 complete sentences.

1. What is the original issue/conflict?

2. How does it diverge from the issue?

3. Who appears to be dominant at first (daughter, father, or mother)?

4. What aspects and nuances throughout the conversation let you know that they have been dominant throughout the relationship (prior to this dinner conversation)?

5. Who appears to be dominant by the end of the scene?

6. What techniques or factors were used to assert that dominance?

Refer to the quote and first blurb at the top of the page. If conflicts continue in this fashion, what paths could this relationship eventually spiral towards?

Answer 1

American Beauty is a dark comedy which was directed by Sam Mendes in 1999. The movie revolves around the protagonist Lester Burnham who is a 42 year old man, going through a mid life crisis. He dislikes his job,has a extreme controlling partner and is sexually attracted to his teenage daughter's friend. The movie revolves around the subjectivity of what is beautiful to an American middle class, around sexuality,materialism,marraige, redemption and finding meaning in between all the objective chaos . Prior to the dinner scale in the movie, Carolyn is portrayed as a dominant woman in the relationship, who has ambition and material aspirations in life. Lester, on the other hand is portrayed as a middle age man who has been suppressed of his desires to just breathe and be, without having to be frowned upon or judged by his family for never being good enough. Until the dinner scene, Lester has been shown as a man who deeply uses psychological defence mechanism of repressing his emotions and the trauma of never being a 'good enough husband or a father'.

However, the dinner scene changed the power status, diverting from Carolyn to Lester, as he breaks free from his own psychological defences. As Carolyn and Lester are eating dinner, Jane walks in and apologizes for being late. Carolyn speaks in humiliating hysterical tone asking Lester to tell his daughter about his eventful day at workl Clearly by 'evrntful', she meant how Lester failed in his job and quit it. As Carolyn starts to speak, the high pitch in her voice asserted her physical dominance. However, she stating the she us now the sole bread earner in the family and would be paying off the mortgages, asserts her psychological power status in the family hierarchy. While Lester is seen as a quite man before this scene in the movie, however he breaks free in this scene. While Carolyn continues with her sarcastic and hystericaltone,Lester replies, "I'm sick and tired of being treated like I don't exist." Few seconds later, Lester, stands up and throws the plate full of asparagus on the wall. This was the act of dominance on the part of Lester, that left both Jane and Carolyn in shock. The display of violence or a psychologicsl burst out is followed by Lester commanding Carolyn, "the “Lawrence Welsh shit” music playing during the dinner time should be changed as he despises it. Therefore, throwing the plates and shouting abruptly at Carolyn and Jane was the technique that was used by Lester to assert his dominance. The movie personifies the abnormality of the 'American material dream'and the effects it has on family unit. Ifco flicks continue this fashion, not only it would have broken the bond between Lester and Carolyn,but woukd have profound psychological impact on Jane ( rebelling, behavioural misconduct and certainly substance abuses, as she was a teenager going through a critical transition herself).