American Beauty “Above all else, be true to thyself" (anonymous) This is the lesson that Lester Burnham slowly begins to learn, with the help of Ricky Fitz. He stops believing in the lie, and living the lie that just makes us better consumers. He learns to love again. He learns the meaning of passion, and the pursuits of passion. He learns to speak his mind when faced with adversity or injustice, and not just roll …showed first 75 words of 938 total…

…showed last 75 words of 938 total…is also why Lester must die, and it's not really a sad thing when it happens. He has reached that point, and he cannot live with this newfound revelation. All he will be able to do is look at things and marvel at their beauty like he does with the photograph right before his death. Lester's death is simply part of gaining that particular viewpoint; if you reach this point, you can't go on living.