Daily Dialogue — August 13, 2016
“I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn’t a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time… For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars… And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined our street… Or my grandmother’s hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper… And the first time I saw my cousin Tony’s brand new Firebird… And Janie… And Janie… And… Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me… but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst… And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life… You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry… you will someday.”
— American Beauty (1999), written by Alan Ball
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Recollection, suggested by Will King.
Trivia: Alan Ball based Lester’s story on aspects of his own life. Lester’s re-examination of his life parallels feelings Ball had in his mid-30s;[86] like Lester, Ball put aside his passions to work in jobs he hated for people he did not respect. Scenes in Ricky’s household reflect Ball’s own childhood experiences. Ball suspected his father was homosexual and used the idea to create Col. Fitts, a man who “gave up his chance to be himself”. Ball said the script’s mix of comedy and drama was not intentional, but that it came unconsciously from his own outlook on life. He said the juxtaposition produced a starker contrast, giving each trait more impact than if they appeared alone.
Dialogue On Dialogue: Lester Burnham recollects tiny, yet memorable moments in his life in the second before he dies, a powerful way to end his journey to enlightenment, ending too soon.