Family Values
In viewing American Beauty, I feel the film confirms that family values do not resemble the "traditional family" of yesterday. Firstly, in the film, we can see that each of the families involved are dysfunctional.Lester, (the father) is obviously suffering from a mid-life crisis and sees that his marriage is failing. He tries to communicate with his daughter (Jane), who has alreadymade her decision that her family is in jeopardy. Jane is probably the only person in herfamily that is considered "ordinary". Jane's mother (Caroline) is also "suffering" in the sense that she too, is miserable in the marriage. But, she would rather keeps things quietfor the sake of the family. She keeps herself occupied by gardening and working outside of the house. In other words, Caroline is in denial that her family is collapsing. Both women in the family do not respect Lester, because he does not show authority and affection, nor does he give any contribution in the day to day events; as if he never exists. Lester's family is a facade of what a "normal family" should be. In the second family, Frank (the father), is a Colonel in the Marine Corps and is a
Ricky's mother is also a victim of abuse and is probably psychotic. In Frank's theory, structure and discipline are necessary for a family to function "normally". People didn't watch shows to see if their lives reflected back at them. In the film, they don't even mention her name; she basically doesn't exist. Even after the word applied to people affiliated by blood and marriage, for many centuries the notion of family referred to authority relations rather than loved ones. The nuclear family came to being in the 1940's. Many psychologists explained that battered wives were masochists who provoked their husbands into beating them. You "could" be cured if you got married, and had one or two kids; and in case that didn't work, the least you could do is pretend to be straight for the sake of the children. The word family originally meant a band of slaves. They watched them to see how families were supposed live. No matter what may come of the marriage, they have tied their identities and fates together. . But, parents are closer to their children now than they ever were.
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