The Theme Of Daytripper In American Beauty

Comparative Paper How do you measure a human life? Is it the years in your life, or the life in your years? By examining Daytripper in light of the theory of life articulated in American Beauty, we can see that Daytripper is arguing life’s true meaning is found in quality, not quantity. The book is much more about what makes a life than how it ends. Both stories explore the quiet or simple moments that shape a man’s life, and ultimately his death. American Beauty is a story of Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who hates his job, and who is unhappily married to his wife Carolyn. After being laid off and realizing his wife isn’t the vivacious woman he fell in love with Lester begins a journey in which he can be happy again. Despite the luxuries and materials he has, he ultimately reverts back to simple pleasures that he once enjoyed when he was younger. These pleasures include attaining his dream car, smoking marijuana, working at a fast-food restaurant, and working out. However, the main catalyst to his new pursuit of happiness is his …show more content…
In American Beauty Carolyn comes home to witness her estranged husband dead in the kitchen. As she makes her way to the bedroom she is crying over what has occurred, and walks toward the closet. It is here that she realizes she will never get a chance to love her husband again as she clings on to the clothes hanging in the closet while she sobs and mourns. In Daytripper, one of the stories revolves around Bras’ wife, Ana, who is informed that her husband has died due to last minute surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. She too lies on the couch covered in the clothes from his closet. However, Ana looks to her son Miguel and realizes that Bras’ lives on through him and he had a meaningful life because he was able to enjoy the wonder that is having a