American Beauty, through its use of symbols and the film’s title itself, makes us examine the characters and their philosophies (American dream, their concepts of success, beauty, etc.) as they are and as they are perceived. No one in the movie is really what they seem. In the end, the creepiest (Ricky) is the nicest, the successful wife is an unstable mess, and the American beauty is pretty plain.

Appearing multiple times in American Beauty, red rose pedals are a symbol of love, sensuality, and vitality. However, it’s important to note that for most of the film, the red roses are implicitly an illusion. Red roses in the context of an illusion come to represent a sugar-coated reality.

By sugar coating I mean what covers the natural stimulus (taste, sight, touch) “sweetening” it. In all but one scene, red peddlers are around Angela covering her naked body in a way that makes what lies beneath her that much more enticing, through the use of sultry reds and sensuality. of the mystery. Not to mention the extreme spectacles that often accompany Lester’s dream scenes.

However, in the scene where Lester finally gets what he’s been wishing for, Angela has no red peddlers around her. Unlike her breasts in the first scene which were covered in vibrating pedals, this scene exposes her body for what it is, we like that Lester begins to feel that Angela may not have been all he hoped it would be. It’s not that Angela isn’t beautiful, it’s that no one could live up to the divine expectations that Lester’s wild fantasies created.

After Lester finds out that Angela is a virgin and not at all what he thought she was, he goes out into the kitchen and takes a picture of his family. As Lester looks at a family photo of him saying “man, man…”, he shows himself a mouthful of red roses (exact to the ones shown above) for about 5 seconds. These roses, unlike all the ones shown above, are real, not a dream. Also, unlike the roses shown above, they are associated with his family and not Angela. In this context, roses do not represent a sugar coating, but real love, sensuality and vitality. Seconds later we see a pool of red blood. Shortly after we experience, through a video montage that is Lester’s life passing before his eyes, the love, sensuality and vitality that the image represented.

The theme of things not being what they seem is not isolated from Lester’s view of Angela. Several times throughout the movie, Carolyn says that you have to project success at all times in order to ultimately succeed. Lester also comments to Ricky’s dad that his marriage “…is just for show.”

Many of the characters seem obsessed with how people perceive them, but show little interest in the reality of things. Ricky’s dad who hates homosexuality, and lets it know several times throughout the movie, turns out to be interested in men sexually in the end. Carolyn and Buddy are obsessed with appearing “successful” and making others think they are part of a “normal” family. It is the struggle to appear this way to both of them that makes them emotionally unstable and separates them from their families.

American Beauty, through its contrast between reality and perceived reality, makes us examine what American beauty is, the American dream, and how real are the promises these narratives offer.