Lester The Greatest Inspiration example essay topic

A lot of people try to "look closer" to analyse the movie, but they don't realise that they " re facing the wrong direction. A great saying that holds a great deal of truth for this movie is: "Before you can help others, you have to help yourself". Now this may sound like a selfish attitude but it's not. It basically means that if you " re not the best person you can possibly be, then how can you expect to mend the relationships you have with the people around you? Lester found himself in a rut at the age of 42 and he wasn't sure what went wrong or how to fix it. Meeting Angela was merely his inspiration to re-invent himself, to recapture his happiness and the meaning in his life.

Of course most of his actions that follow are self-centred but that's because he tries to recapture his happiness by mentally going back to a time in his life when he was happy - his youth. If you imagine that Carolyn would have been very similar to Angela when she was a teenager (hence Lester's fascination with Angela) then you may see some reason behind his irresponsible actions. Even if we can't condone them at least we can understand them. Lester used to be "pals" with Jane many years ago but now they " ve grown apart.

Who's fault is it - no one's really. It just kind of happened as most teenagers go through the angst of their adolescent years and feel distant to their parents. Lester acknowledges that he and Jane have lost something in their relationship and he tries to talk to her - he just doesn't quite know what to say. It's not Jane's fault either, it's just lack of communication. "I haven't been available" does not suggest "I don't want to spend time with you".

It simply means that he hasn't been available for whatever reason. It's sad to see 2 characters who both want some form of interaction but can't bring themselves to open up, but it's so true in real life too. Lester is only concerned about himself and he would care about his daughter only if she offered him something in return. Not true. Lester cares about Jane, he just doesn't know how to show it. He want's to be a part of her life, but he feels that she just isn't cooperating (again, I'm not pinning the blame on Jane).

Even though his actions are self-centred through most of the movie (his re-awakening) we see at the end that he really does have concern for his daughter when he asks Angela how Jane is doing -- "I really want to know and she'd die before she told me". (paraphrased). In the final montage we see all the things that flashed through Lester's mind in the moment of his death and we learn what was really important to him - his wife, his memories as a child, and his daughter (shown twice to emphasise how much she means to him). Angela can't offer Lester anything, and he suddenly remembers his daughter ? Why are you focusing on the sex?

Angela gave Lester the greatest inspiration he has had in years. And let me emphasise this point again -- if you imagine Angela as being a younger Carolyn that is the object of a teenage boys infatuation (eternal search for youth and beauty) then you " ll see that Lester wasn't merely after the sexual conquest, he was after the happiness and freedom he had as a teenager (ahh... reminiscing, isn't it grand! ). He got to the point where he had regained his confidence, his freedom and his happiness (although it was a bit clouded) and as he undresses Angela he discovers that she's a virgin. The reason he choses not to have sex with her is not because she is a virgin, but because he realises that he was chasing a dream. His whole journey was an attempt to recapture the happiness he had as a teenager.

When he discovers she is a virgin, it emphasizes that Angela is innocent and naive. His mind snaps out of the dream that he'd been in and he reverts back to where he left off at the start of the movie - a 42-year-old man. But somethings different now, he's no longer in a rut. In fact he's found his happiness.

He feels "great". Angela gave him inspiration to find his passion for living and then she gave him his drive to be a better father to Jane (remember how he treated Angela after she tells him she's a virgin? - puts a blanket around her shoulders, makes her a sandwich, asks if she's okay, etc). Stop focusing on the sex. That scene runs alot deeper than that superficial layer that so many people get hung up on. As for Ricky being selfish, to a degree you " re right. But before you start pointing your finger at his marajuana dealing (and remember he smokes the same stuff he deals to others) you have to understand a bit more about the effects that this drug has on people.

It's nowhere near as destructive as heroin or cocaine and it's not as addictive as humble tobacco. Alcohol is much more common (and accepted) in society and yet you don't suggest that the bartender at the function is selfish for serving Lester and Carolyn drinks. Drugs like marajuana and opium were used in ancient cultures as a catalyst to enlightenment, so why should it be an exception in today's culture? And don't start claiming that smoking pot is morally wrong just because it's illegal. The main reason that pot is illegal today is because cotton farmers lobbied against hemp farmers back in the early 1920's because they saw them as competition in their industry. I've probably ranted enough.

I do admit that all of the characters showed varying degrees of weaknesses in their moral fibres whether that be through some selfishness or whatever. But I really do think that you missed something important in the final stages of the movie. Lester is not blameless, but he swam through some muddy waters and came up clean at the end. This is your life, and you " re living it one minute at a time.