In the 1999 film American Beauty, the Burnham family consists of a mother, father, and daughter. The father, Lester, is an agency writer while his wife, Carolyn, is a realtor attempting to compete to sell houses against fellow realtor Buddy King. Their daughter Jane is a dancing Spartanette who has grown distant from both of her parents and holds her father in contempt. Moving into neighborhood, new neighbors Col. Frank Fitts, Barbara Fitts, and Ricky Fitts, changes the dynamic of the relationships of the Burnham family. Jane and Ricky end up dating after she discovers that Ricky has been filming her and she confronts him about it. He explains that he finds beautiful subjects and records them (Cohen & Jinks, & Mendes, 1999). Lester and Carolyn
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She presents as moody, irritable, withdrawn, and not satisfied with her personal appearance. She sides with her mother in confrontations against her father. She no longer is as close to him and she begins to have a relationship with Ricky. She lets Ricky record her nude and she asks for someone to kill her father as she is angry with him. She wants to improve her appearance with a breast augmentation and does not share her wishes with her family. Despite her mother’s change in behavior after her affair, her role as daughter and mother essentially remain unchanged.
Ricky has several complex roles within his family and the Burnham. His father demands that he live a disciplined and orderly life and drug tests his son to ensure that role. Ricky hides his drug dealing and marijuana smoking from his father and serves the role of drug dealer to Lester. His role as caretaker to his mother and boyfriend to Jane changes into more of a spouse role as he wishes to take Jane to New York to live. He apologizes to his mother but values his role as Jane’s boyfriend …show more content…
Lester and Carolyn are in a triangulated relationship with Buddy King. Carolyn and Lester have not been sexually intimate in their marriage so Carolyn forms a relationship with Buddy to meet her sexual needs. She is also able to relieve pressure and contention in her marriage by being in this relationship with Buddy. In the beginning, Jane and Carlyon form a triangle with Lester as they think he has failed in his life and regard him with scorn. Lester has taken a passive role in this relationship and accepts their feelings to avoid conflict within the
She presents as moody, irritable, withdrawn, and not satisfied with her personal appearance. She sides with her mother in confrontations against her father. She no longer is as close to him and she begins to have a relationship with Ricky. She lets Ricky record her nude and she asks for someone to kill her father as she is angry with him. She wants to improve her appearance with a breast augmentation and does not share her wishes with her family. Despite her mother’s change in behavior after her affair, her role as daughter and mother essentially remain unchanged.
Ricky has several complex roles within his family and the Burnham. His father demands that he live a disciplined and orderly life and drug tests his son to ensure that role. Ricky hides his drug dealing and marijuana smoking from his father and serves the role of drug dealer to Lester. His role as caretaker to his mother and boyfriend to Jane changes into more of a spouse role as he wishes to take Jane to New York to live. He apologizes to his mother but values his role as Jane’s boyfriend …show more content…
Lester and Carolyn are in a triangulated relationship with Buddy King. Carolyn and Lester have not been sexually intimate in their marriage so Carolyn forms a relationship with Buddy to meet her sexual needs. She is also able to relieve pressure and contention in her marriage by being in this relationship with Buddy. In the beginning, Jane and Carlyon form a triangle with Lester as they think he has failed in his life and regard him with scorn. Lester has taken a passive role in this relationship and accepts their feelings to avoid conflict within the