BEAUTY THROUGH TEXT AND FILM ✓ Solved

Describing beauty in a philosophical sense is a complex and intricate practice. There are many interpretations of what beauty is and is not. A further complicating factor is the inclusion of beauty as a key tenet in the meaning of life. In the following essay an attempt will be made to derive a definition of beauty and its role in bringing life meaning. This will be done by identifying the argument provided in the article, “American Beauty: Look Closer,” by George T. Hole, followed by a short summary of the film American Beauty. Connections between both the film and the article will be made to fully capture one sense of what beauty is. The essay will conclude with a brief criticism prior to highlights and takeaways. Again, when writing on beauty in a philosophical sense, it is important the reader, thinker, and intellectual note its complexities and know there has yet to be one distinct definition.

This essay offers the framework and perspective from select text and film examples; it is by no means an argument of universality, however, it is a theory to consider. George T. Hole provides an analysis of the movie American Beauty. In their analysis, they further highlight and explain the philosophical qualities and themes found throughout the film. George T. Hole writes, “It [the movie] offers us a philosophical challenge, not simply to intellectualize about the meaning of life, but to examine our assumptions about the meaning of our own lives.” The following paragraphs appear to be written as follow-up to this statement, leading the reader to surmise the author's purpose or main argument to be an effort to exemplify the ways in which the movie offers a philosophical challenge regarding life’s meaning.

One example of a philosophic theme is the notion of “a life behind things.” Hole provides a quote from the film which is stated by one of the main characters, Ricky, who speaks about a video he had taken of a plastic bag “dancing” in the wind. He further describes the video as a day in which he “knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force.” Hole uses this excerpt to explain another theme, one of “transcendence,” and how the movie suggests a different version of it, suggesting, “a redemptive possibility through beauty, here, in this life as it is.” He goes on to describe beauty as “pervasive and powerful.” The concept of beauty leads Hole into topics surrounding “something beyond,” and the concept of “form” both explained using Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, as well as highlighting “truth” as a “distinction between appearances and reality.” The primary philosophical challenge offered here is how one comes to understand the nature of beauty as applied in the meaning of life.

In later paragraphs, Hole analyzes concepts of beauty provided in the film. Material beauty, surface-level beauty, and conventional beauty are described as disillusionments. He further emphasizes that we have been taught our judgments of what is beautiful versus what is ugly as cultural truths. He describes beauty as having redemptive powers as well as the ability to heal; quoting the film, “it’s hard to stay mad, when there is so much beauty in the world.” Other insights provided by G. T. Hole include the notion of “stepping back and watching” in order to explain beauty. He uses examples from philosopher Immanuel Kant and highlights the adoption of an attitude of disinterestedness as an essential process for viewing true beauty. He also touches on the concept that genuine beauty requires our imagination to enter free play, “being creative with our experience,” relaying Kant’s notion of “purposiveness without purpose.”

In G. T. Hole’s conclusion, he explains the harm in trying to hold onto things such as experiences, wisdom, and beauty and how it ultimately destroys the thing you are trying to keep. He references both Buddha and the film as support in this notion. Hole explains that Buddha “did not make his own enlightenment something personal, as if by holding onto it he would be special and entitled to claim for himself some privileged center of existence,” followed by one of the main characters of the film, Lester, stating, “And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold onto it, and then it flows through me like rain.” He ends his article by asserting that the film American Beauty offers a philosophical framework for beauty, life, and meaning, concluding that “Meaning, like beauty, is always accessible in our lives, if we take a closer look, with beginner’s eyes, and experience our lives with deep gratitude.”

The film American Beauty, is a 1999 film starring Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, and Mena Suvari. The film offers insight into two families: the Burnhams and the Fittses. It portrays their suburban or middle-class economic status accompanied by their discontent, superficiality, dysfunction, and ultimate unraveling. The Burnham family consists of Lester, who is depicted as a middle-aged, un-dramatic, office worker and father. His wife Carolyn is a more intense real estate agent, matching her rose trimmers to her gardening gloves and engaging in trivial matters with the neighbors. Jane, their daughter, is depicted as a typical teenager—somewhat of an outcast, rebellious, insecure, angry, and confused. The film follows the family through Lester’s transformation and “awakening,” and ultimate death, Carolyn’s breakdown and infidelity, and Jane’s love interests and growth. Ricky Fitts is the new neighbor whom Jane becomes interested in, possessing a peculiar hobby of videotaping things he finds odd or interesting. He is assertive, unique, and unbothered by how others perceive him.

The film highlights concepts of perception as it relates to reality and life’s purpose or meaning. It accomplishes this by satirically portraying the material American dream against the dysfunction of the families and people behind the illusion. Prominent themes include beauty, transcendence, and appreciation. The film concludes with Lester’s voice, after having been murdered, expressing gratitude for “every single moment of my stupid little life.” His voiceover assures us that “you will someday” understand what he means.

In conclusion, G. T. Hole’s article “American Beauty: Look Closer” illustrates the depths and complexity of beauty through the lens of the film American Beauty. Throughout both mediums, an invitation is made to engage with beauty beyond conventional understanding—seeking depth, healing, and transcendence in the mundane. The challenge remains for viewers and readers alike to look closer and embrace the beauty that surrounds them.

References

  • Ball, A. (1999). American Beauty [DVD]. United States; DreamWorks.

  • Blessing, K. A., Tudico, P. J., & Hole, G. T. (2005). American Beauty: Look Closer. In Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take on Hollywood (pp. 153–168). essay, Open Court.

  • Hole, G. T. (2005). American Beauty: Look Closer. In Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take on Hollywood (pp. 153–168). Open Court.

  • Kant, I. (1987). Critique of Judgment. Hackett Publishing.

  • Plato. (1992). The Republic. Hackett Publishing.

  • Freud, S. (2005). The Uncanny. Penguin Classics.

  • Lyotard, J. F. (1994). The Inhuman: Reflections on Time. Stanford University Press.

  • Deleuze, G. (1995). Negotiations. Columbia University Press.

  • Barthes, R. (1977). Image, Music, Text. Fontana Press.

  • Merleau-Ponty, M. (2012). Phenomenology of Perception. Routledge.