Page "American Beauty (film)" Paragraph 11

When Lester is caught masturbating by Carolyn, his angry retort about their lack of intimacy is the first time he says aloud what he thinks about her.

By confronting the issue and Carolyn's " superficial investments in others ", Lester is trying to " regain a voice in a home that respects the voices of mother and daughter ".

His final turning point comes when he and Angela almost have sex ; after she confesses her virginity, he no longer thinks of her as a sex object, but as a daughter.

He holds her close and " wraps her up ".

Mendes called it " the most satisfying end to journey there could possibly have been ".

With these final scenes, Mendes intended to show Lester at the conclusion of a " mythical quest ".

After Lester gets a beer from the refrigerator, the camera pushes toward him, then stops facing a hallway down which he walks " to meet his fate ".

Having begun to act his age again, Lester achieves closure.

As he smiles at a family photo, the camera pans slowly from Lester to the kitchen wall, onto which blood spatters as a gunshot rings out ; the slow pan reflects the peace of Lester's death.

His body is discovered by Jane and Ricky.

Mendes said that Ricky's staring into Lester's dead eyes is " the culmination of the theme " of the film: that beauty is found where it is least expected.