American Ugly

In the film "American Beauty," the director Sam Mendes focuses on the idea and concept of human enlightenment and awakening from the standardized "cave," that we humans are born into. The idea that humans are bread to become what our society prepares us to be is the main theme of "American Beauty." The character Carolyn Burnham, who plays a power driven ambitious business woman, who devotes her whole time to her work, and not her family. Carolyn is living in the cave and doesn't realize that the pressure she is putting on herself is driving her into mental anguish and disturbing the relationship she has with her husband and her daughter. Another character that finds her caught up in this cave is Angela. Angela presents herself and believes herself to be this person that she thinks society will socially accept more, gain more popularity and go further in life by being this completely phony person to everyone and hiding the true person she is behind her wall of lies.

Plato's allegory...