Essay about The State of Despair in American Beauty

The State of Despair in American Beauty In life, everyone must make choices. Choices give an individual the freedom to decide upon the path to which they will follow. Since it’s beginnings, the film making industry has focused on showing the direct relationship between the choices that people make and the resulting consequences they must face. In the movie American Beauty, the character of Lester Burnham must make many important choices that could either lead to his ultimate happiness, or draw him further into his despair. In the movie American Beauty, it is evident that Lester Burnham is in a state of despair. Lester’s dull and monotonous voice introduces the audience to his daily routine of life. When Lester declares plain and†¦show more content†¦This is obvious by observing the large room he shares with dozens of co-workers. The cubical Lester had is identical to the dozens of cubicles filling the room. Like all other cubicles, the workspace the employees shared was small and confined. Looking at Lester’s workspace, the audience can identify the bland and uniform area that Lester has faced on a daily basis. Lester was considered by others to be an â€Å"expendable employee†, having a job that was not required by the company therefore wasting the company’s money. Just as Lester was considered an unnecessary employee, his job became meaningless to him. Lester concluded he could not find a reason to justify his job; because his job had no meaning to him, or his emp loyer. If he decided to justify his job, Lester would continue a meaningless life at work, and continue to be â€Å"a whore for the advertising industry.† If Lester did not change now he would fall into a deeper state of despair feeling like he had sold â€Å"his soul† to â€Å"work for Satan† just because â€Å"it was more convenient that way.† Lester, considering himself â€Å"an ordinary guy with nothing to lose† chooses to quit his job as advertising writer. Upon his leaving he seeks out a new job, â€Å"with the least responsibility†, and is hired at â€Å"Mr. Smiley’s† a local fast food restaurant, which he is happy about. Making the choice to quit his job and work in a fast food restaurant finally brings Lester his chance to embrace happiness. ItShow MoreRelatedLucinda Matlock Poem Analysis936 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered by some critics, like Ernest Earnest, to be one of the greatest poetry collections in American l iterature. 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