It is important to mention, however, that this paper does not generalize the American suburbs as a dystopia nor does it make the assumption that all people living in the suburbs experience the above mentioned pressure. Instead, this paper takes a critical look at the “utopian idea” of the suburbs and the possible disillusionment if that idea is literally interpreted as it is by the characters in American Beauty. In such cases, due to disillusionment, people experience life in the suburbs less as a utopia, but more as a dystopia. In this paper, the term dystopia describes living in misery due to the perceived need to conform to a culturally deterministic system that imprisons independent thought, as well as the negative consequences of overpowering materialism as they are shown in the
It is important to mention, however, that this paper does not generalize the American suburbs as a dystopia nor does it make the assumption that all people living in the suburbs experience the above mentioned pressure. Instead, this paper takes a critical look at the “utopian idea” of the suburbs and the possible disillusionment if that idea is literally interpreted as it is by the characters in American Beauty. In such cases, due to disillusionment, people experience life in the suburbs less as a utopia, but more as a dystopia. In this paper, the term dystopia describes living in misery due to the perceived need to conform to a culturally deterministic system that imprisons independent thought, as well as the negative consequences of overpowering materialism as they are shown in the