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"American Beauty": Dysfunctional Marriage

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Essay / Research Paper Abstract

5 pages in length. Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening play Lester Burnham and Carolyn Burnham, a seemingly happily married couple in Sam Mendes' "American Beauty" – by typical social standards, that is. What actually lurks beneath their otherwise normal relationship is the discontentment of one man's desire to live more of his life than merely being a cookie cutout of average people. Lester longs for excitement and intrigue to fill his lonely, boring life, and he has learned over the years that he cannot get these things from his own marriage. In essence, Lester and Carolyn have grown apart rather than together, no longer sharing the same elements that originally brought them together as a couple. What has come to pass that inevitably inspires Lester's mid-life crisis is a combination of lost youth, a life that is going nowhere, his marriage becoming more of a drudgery than an enlightening experience and a general sense of failure. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

Page Count:

5 pages (~225 words per page)

File: LM1_TLCamerB.doc

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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:

Mendes American Beauty - by typical social standards, that is. What actually lurks beneath their otherwise normal relationship is the discontentment of one mans desire to live more of his life than merely being a cookie cutout of average people. Lester longs for excitement and intrigue to fill his lonely, boring life, and he has learned over the years that he cannot get these things from his own marriage. "Carolyn Burnham: Uh, whos car is that out front? Lester Burnham: Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car Ive always wanted and now I have it. I rule!" (Mendes, 1999, p. PG). In essence, Lester and Carolyn have grown apart rather than together, no longer sharing the same elements that originally brought them together as a couple. What has come to pass that inevitably inspires Lesters mid-life crisis is a combination of lost youth, a life that is going nowhere, his marriage becoming more of a drudgery than an enlightening experience and a general sense of failure. Clearly, he realizes that he does not even know his own wife anymore when she sharply retorts: "There happens to be a lot about me that you dont know, Mr. Smarty Man. Theres plenty of joy in my life" (Mendes, 1999, p. PG). II. CONSIDERING SYSTEMS APPROACH What would it take to put Lester and Carolyns marriage back on track? One might consider the insightful approach of Dr. Albert Ellis Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) theory, inasmuch as it addresses the exact issues that ultimately drive Lester over the edge and in search of true happiness. The very essence of REBT resides in its "humanistic, action-oriented approach to emotional growth" (Anonymous, 2001) that focuses upon ones ability to establish his or her ...

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