dharmagirl, “American Beauty” is one of my favorites. The scene that sticks with me is when that young man describes watching a plastic bag being spun around by the wind as the most beautiful thing he has ever recorded.
I’ve thought about that scene and tried to interpret it. I think that on one level the story is saying that no matter how ugly or unhappy our life can be there is still beauty in this world to be found. Or on a story plot level the young man is so desperate for hope in his world that the sight of a plastic bag animated by nature is beautiful for its simplicity. Or maybe the bag and the wind show that we really don’t have much control over the circumstances of our lives.
