Short Story 'Mi Casa Et Su Casa'

My short story “Mi Casa et su Casa” focusses on the theme of a veneer which is also addressed in Sam Mendes’ film American Beauty. The intention of the text was to present the narrator’s mother, Alejandro, in the way in which she represented in central concept that was also portrayed through various characters in the film. Significant motifs and symbolism present in American Beauty was mirrored in the narrative to place emphasis on important events and objects. Like the Character of Lester in the stimulus material, Alejandra comes to a resolution about the beauty of life, especially the one she once possessed in Mexico, coming to understand what is really beautiful about life.

The character of Emma’s mother, Alejandra, endeavors to portray

her family as typically American, masking their true ethnicity behind a constant false preoccupation. This concept of a veneer is also conveyed through various characters within the film American Beauty and is highlighted through the statement of Buddy Kane “In order to be successful, one must project an image of success at all times” (IMDb, n.d.). Like Alejandra, Angela portrays the false veneer of a sexually experienced teenager which enables her shallow understanding of self to be fully recognized. Through the film she is depicted criticizing others for their ordinary and common demeanor “I don't think that there's anything worse than being ordinary”, whilst she worries that this in fact her defining quality;
Angela Hayes: Yeah? Well, at least I'm not ugly!
Ricky Fitts: Yes, you are. And you're boring, and you're totally ordinary, and you know it. (IMDb, n.d.)
This personal front can also be viewed in reference to the character of Carolyn who, like Alejandra constantly attempts to live the American dream through her materialistic views, compromising her marriage.
Carolyn Burnham: This is a $4,000 sofa, upholstered in Italian silk. This is not just a couch.
Lester Burnham: [shouts, pounding a couch pillow to each syllable] It's just a couch!
Lester Burnham: This isn't life, it's just stuff. And it's become more important to you than living. Well, honey, that's just nuts. (IMDb, n.d.)

Like these characters before her, Barbara Fitts conveys the appearance of a veneer through the state of her immaculate house for which is apologies “I'm so sorry for the way things look around here” (IMDb, n.d.).

However, through the progression of the film the audience recognizes that Barbara’s mental health and the condition of her marriage with a homosexual man is far from perfect. This is present in the creative piece where Alejandra attempts to control the activities of her children and furnishes her home with ideal American décor, like the Statue of Liberty. As with all the characters mentioned above, Alejandra coveys a false portrayal of herself to mask her true identity in the attempt to be seen and perceived as perfectly ordinary.

The concept is also significantly impacted by the use of a mirror which appears in both the stimulus and creative text. This object is included in the scene when Emma notices the hat as it is a reflection. The inclusion of this image through the mirror depicts something of altering appearance which largely impacts the dynamics of their household and unlike the characters fronts within the texts; the mirror shows a realistic reflection of their actual appearance with an inability to mask any

feature.

Devices placed within the creative were used to communicate a deeper meaning to enhance the thematic link between the story and the stimulus text. The object of the cordovan hat was included as a classic symbol of Mexican Culture. The description of its colour, which is red, was included in reference to the film American Beauty in which this is used to significance an object of great importance. Like the cordovan hat, the statue of liberty was also used to signify a culture. For many people immigrating to the United State, the Statue of Liberty was recognized as a beacon of hope. Due to its location, it was often their first view of the United States and signified a life of new opportunities (U.S. National Park Service, n.d.).Both of these key objects were included as their underlying symbolism conveyed the merging and collision of two cultures, similar to the colliding worlds of Lester and Ricky witnessed in the stimulus text. The names of both children, Emma and Noah, also conveyed an underlying symbolism as they were both, based on the Social Security Administration’s May 2015 Statistics, the most popular American name(Family Education, 2015). This signifies the great extent of Alejandro’s need for an American appearance and the great length she went to in order to achieve ‘normality’. Through this we can determine the similarities present with Lester who took extreme measures including illicit drug use to achieve his false appearance.