 <unk> called American Beauty a rite of passage film about imprisonment and escape from imprisonment . The <unk> of Lester 's existence is established through his gray , <unk> workplace and <unk> clothing . In these scenes , he is often framed as if trapped , " reiterating rituals that hardly please him " . He <unk> in the <unk> of his shower ; the shower stall evokes a jail cell and the shot is the first of many where Lester is confined behind bars or within frames , such as when he is reflected behind columns of numbers on a computer monitor , " confined [ and ] nearly crossed out " . The academic and author <unk> W. <unk> argues that Lester 's journey is the story 's center . His sexual <unk> through meeting Angela is the first of several turning points as he begins to " [ throw ] off the responsibilities of the comfortable life he has come to <unk> " . After Lester shares a joint with Ricky , his spirit is released and he begins to rebel against Carolyn . Changed by Ricky 's " attractive , profound confidence " , Lester is convinced that Angela is <unk> and sees that he must question his " <unk> , <unk> <unk> suburban existence " ; he takes a job at a fast @-@ food outlet , which allows him to <unk> to a point when he could " see his whole life ahead of him " . 
