Alan Ball: Life and Death

Sorry for not posting in so long; I just got back from vacation (and though I went to the Bahamas, there were plenty of times I felt like I was in Wonderland, due to the absolutely irrational way the airlines behaved), and have not had any time to post. Anyway, Alan Ball's American Beauty and Six Feet Under also share themes relating to life and death. Once again, these were explored to much greater depths in SFU, partly because it was a series and partly because they were the MAIN theme, but both worlds had very interesting things to say on the subject.

In American Beauty, the opening narration (after the prologue) reveals that Lester will be dead by the end of the year (and, most likely, the end of the movie), but claims that, in many ways, he's dead already. His wife and daughter walk all over him, he is a mindless drone at work and he has very little to do besides provide for his ungrateful family. His discovery of Angela sparks life back into him, and he rediscovers the joys of living. He quits his job in order to have more free time to have fun. He takes a job at a burger joint in order to have no responsibility. He begins working out, smoking marijuana, buys the car of his dreams, and realizes that life is what you make of it. When Carolyn yells at him for almost spilling beer on their expensive sofa (which derailed their attempt to have sex for the first time in forever), he responds that it is meaningless. They won't take the couch with them when they die (if only I could take this attitude towards shit, as he refers to it; I am getting my "shit" together to move to the city, and you should see how many DVDs and books I have). These activities allow him to be at peace when he is on his deathbed; he realizes that he has seen and done what he wanted to do, especially in the few months leading up to his death, and he is happy knowing that he was able to do life right.

Six Feet Under's title may lead you to believe that it is a show about death, but in reality, it is about life. The Fishers learn about life through the deaths they experience, whether it be the deaths of loved ones or of the people related to their customers. As I said in the last post, sex was a big part of the show, especially since a lot of characters used it to feel alive. But there were other methods of holding onto life. Matriarch Ruth felt dead herself up until a few months before her husband Nathaniel died. It was then that she started seeing a man outside of marriage, and it was more than just the sex that helped her revitalize herself. Hiram, her hairdresser, introduced her to camping, which gave her a hobby. After Hiram, she began dating again (I know, sex is a big part of this, but there is more to dating than sex). Her various suitors each taught her something different about life; Arthur (played by Rainn Wilson, who is even more awesomely creepy than he is on The Office) opened her up to a kind of lost innocence, while George taught her how do live in a mixed family.

The other big thing that is reinforced on Six Feet Under is that everybody dies (SPOILER: which is beautifully illustrated by the series finale). Many of the characters start the series fearing death, but by the end, most have accepted that they will die and learn how to live. I've said this before (and by "said this", I mean, "I've quoted Sandman"), but death defines life, and life is what you make of it. Nearly every episode begins with a death, and the Fishers marvel at the people who lived life to the fullest, and are saddened and perplexed by those who squandered their time on Earth. Each type of person (and there are many more categories, which aren't mutually exclusive) teaches the leads a little something about life. Sometimes the families of the deceased give their two cents about life and death, while other times, the characters envision the dead bodies talking to them. Often, the thoughts and emotions of the lead character speaking to the dead person are projected into the conversation through the dead person's dialogue.

Neither American Beauty nor Six Feet Under holds the definitive answer to the mystery of death or the meaning of life (obviously), but they each offer very interesting ideas on the subjects.

Up next: The internet is really, really great...