American Beauty (1999 film) as Lester and Angela get closer, finally taking the roses—and thus Carolyn—out of the shot. Lester's epiphany at the end of the film is expressed by rain and the use of red, building to a crescendo that is a deliberate contrast to the release Lester feels. The constant use of red "lulls [the audience] subliminally" into becoming used to it; consequently, it leaves the audience unprepared when Lester is shot and his blood spatters on the wall. Pennington argues that "American Beauty" defines its characters through their sexuality. Lester's attempts to relive his youth are a direct result of his
Carolyn Pollan Carolyn Pollan Carolyn Joan Clark Pollan (born July 12, 1937) is an American politician who served as the Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for a portion of Sebastian County(which includes the state's second largest city of Fort Smith) for twelve consecutive two-year terms from 1975 to 1999. Pollan is the longest serving (1) Republican and (2) woman member of the Arkansas legislature in history and (3) the first woman Arkansas legislator to have been named House Associate Speaker Pro Tempore. Because of since-enacted term limits, since modified, no one can top Pollan's records of longevity. Pollan was