Exploring the ART OF SACRIFICE through the American dream in john Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" and Mende's film "American Beauty"

The ambitiousnesss, which a society creates, rush an important role in the lives of the passel in that society. In particular, the American Dream, for the fictitious computer addresss of twain John Steinbecks prose assembly Of Mice and Men and Sam Mendes fritter American Beauty, is presented as a powerful concept done its challenge nature, which arrive aters comfort and a better manner. However, for the characters to live this stargaze they must make sacrifices. at bottom the two texts, the American Dream, governed by the societys context, values, and ideals, presents the societys depiction of comfort. Steinbecks Of Mice and Men was written in the 1930s, set in California, America -focusing on the hu man racey lives of itinerant, manual, male-workers who were impact by the bulky Depression. The lose of security and perceptual constancy in this life resulted in great loneliness and hardship for the men, as they were only if dependent on the whims of employers and the availability of work. In these measure of adversity, the workers created visions for themselves to stick their unpleasant life and give them hope for the future. The dream for the bulk of the workers revealed a longing for a better life, unimaginative of the American Dream; one of independence, equality, wealth, the prospect of owning their own attain, unblemished happiness and the freedom to follow their desires such as to study the colliery with goin to work. In contrast, the society of Mendes film, American Beauty, reflects the midst associate white suburban America during the 19990s. Their dream conveys the sprightliness that happiness is carry throughd with superficial values; including paragon, materialistic possession, a fecund part, knockout, a white picket fence suburban home, and the perfect family. The artificial knockout aspect of this dream is signified by the films title American Beauty; a direct reference to a particular(prenominal) mental s train of roses, which is outwardly perfect t! hrough its cultivation for flawlessness. Conversely, standardised close to house-grown roses, it has no scent, and in that respectfore the definition of witness and god becomes replaced with preposterousness. To give these dreams the characters, in their respective society, sacrifices different aspects of their life, this in bend dexter affects themselves and the people around them. In American Beauty, the character of Angela represents the television-sitcom stump of an American teenager; a typical blonde-haired, beautiful, male-attention-seeking, popular girl. Angela puts on a superficial sexual exterior to mask her fear insecurity and fear of being ordinary, by nerve-racking to exist as an adult in an adult globe of discourse despite the reality of her youth. In doing so, she has sacrificed her integrity to curb account and the image of perfection, created by the American Dream. How Angela approaches the value of beauty is talllighted through the reflect motif, which symbolises her vain nature. This concept of a false beauty is echoed in model of the American Beauty rose as an exterior barrier to Angelas beauty. Similarly, the character of Curleys wife in Of Mice and Men benefits from her physical fashion to meet attention; however, she does not do this to exemplify the societys image of perfection or beauty (like Angela) but to obtain company. disrespect her characters representation as a tramp and the temptation of effeminate sexuality in a male-dominated world, Curleys wife is not all told a villainous or unsympathetic character. She sacrifices her own dreams of a glamourous life in Hollywood as an actress to have the stability in life, which a marriage to a cockeyed man sulleners. However, she makes a poor choice of husband and is left-hand(a) feeling lonely, unhappy with her marriage and with a broken dream. The unhappiness, which derives from the sorrow of the dream, is similarly appargonnt for those life the dream. Fr om the very beginning, Lester, the protagonist of Ame! rican Beauty, is shown to be animation the American Dream; he is wealthy, owns a beautiful suburban house, maintains a exaltedflying job, and is married with a daughter. Lester had to sacrifice his youthful ideals (his identity, respect, venerate and a meaningful relationship with his family) to achieve the suburban American Dream, which he discovers to be false. Instead of being happy and fulfilled in life, Lester is unable to communicate with either wife or daughter, which two see him as this gigantic loser, who is apathetic, sedated, a hold back to be laughed at and despised. Mendes portrays this inferior characteristic of Lester through high angled shots focused down on him, suggesting that he is a character to be looked down on. The misery in living an unwanted dream is visually symbolised by his constant entrapment rear end various objects -such as the shower cubicle, the window of his own home, and the puritanic and confining structure of his work place. The combin ation of his realisation of the double-dealing of the dream and his sudden infatuation with his daughters friend, Angela, contributes to his liberation by throwing off his hypocritical facades -including his dehumanising corporate job, and any pretence that he c atomic number 18s roughly anything but his own appetites. This triggers his retrogression to adolescence as he tries to recapture the remembered joy of his youth.

This new life, in which Lester relives his adolescent dream, is juxtaposed to his preceding depressing life in the two opposing dinner nips. The first dinner shaft captures Lester as submissive character whereas in the second scene it appears that Lester has become m! ore than unconditional and superior. Although the concept of being more powerful is an alluring one, Lester realises again that this too is a false dream as he begins to live a c arfree, responsibility-lacking life of a young man. The negativism results from living the American Dream atomic number 18 also seen in Steinbecks characterisation of Curley in Of Mice and Men. Curleys achievement of wealth, power, land (all the different aspects which articulates the American Dream in this text) is overshadowed by his impetuous nature, abuse of power, selfishness and lack of respect from all the other characters. Curley wears high heeled boots and spurs to prove he [is] not a labouring man. This reveals that he takes return of materialistic possession (which are represent by the boots) and forcefulness (represented by the spurs) to distinguish himself as tribal chief and of higher(prenominal) status. Liked by no one, not tied(p) his wife, Curley demonstrates how the dream affects a character negatively. In the two societies of American Beauty and Of Mice and Men, it becomes die to both the characters and the audience that the American Dream is a disillusionment, as it does not submit either happiness or a better life. For the marrow class Americans, Mendes focuses on the falsity and superficiality of the American Dream. The film highlights how people want to give the illusion that they are living the dream -but behind closed doors, the reality is that the characters are far from reliable happiness; the breakdown of family life is witnessed, there is a induce availability of illicit drugs, violence is exposed, and characters are sacrificing personal resentment until living has been forgotten. Steinbeck, on the other hand, emphasises the futility of the American Dream for the bed covering workers, such as Lennie and George. For these characters, there is no certainty or certificate in either their life or dream. Steinbeck conveys this by augur how s o many elements (including Lennies retardation, Curle! ys character, etc) conspires to destroy their dream. The sacrifices made to achieve this dream is said to be a tragic one. BIBLIOGRAPHY:Of Mice and hands -a novel by John SteinbeckAmerican Beauty - a film say by Mendes If you want to get a full essay, put together it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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