Metaphorical Criticism of American Beauty Essay

Metaphorical Criticism of American Beauty - Essay Example As the paper declares the underlying message in the film is every human being’s quest for happiness and beauty, but this message is communicated through metaphors rather than stated directly in the dialogues. One of the most significant metaphors in the film is the use of the color red, as represented in the rose and rose petals that occur periodically in the film. The red symbolizes love and lust, yet it also symbolizes violence and death. Similarly, the metaphor of a garbage bag is used to present a message that is quite the opposite – that of beauty and transience. Each one of the characters in the film is involved in the same search – the search for happiness, although in each character’s case, the object of happiness is different. For the protagonist Lester, happiness lies in sexual conquest of his daughter’s friend by becoming youthful again, which reflects his desire to pull himself out of his current family situation where he is controlled b y his wife and her perceptions of what is socially correct. According to the report findings a metaphor is an outward symbol that helps in the process of attaining knowledge about the world. It is a group of things related in a particular manner in order to discover similar relations within another group, through the agents of language, categorization, comparison and contrast. It presents visually, the message that is being transmitted mentally, through the cognitive abilities of association.