When colonial settlers arrived in North America on the Mayflower in 1620, the newly formed society's primary concern was ensuring survival; However, nowadays, Western consumer society has placed significant emphasis on superficial ideals, particularly the value of outward appearance. Over the past few centuries, society, particularly in the West, has transformed from a concern with the preservation of life to a concern with foreign superficial values ​​such as those that focus on material objects and physical appearance. Advertising is rampant and indoctrinates girls into thinking they need to wear makeup to "look pretty", brainwashing boys into thinking they need to "bulk up" with muscles. Richard Yate's novel Revolutionary Road addresses the existence of superficial values ​​in society. Aesthetic appearance provides Frank Wheeler with a false sense of confidence exemplified by the contrasts between the states of clothed and naked, imagined and real, practiced and natural. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. The contrast between Frank Wheeler's clothed and naked states illustrates the false sense of confidence that physical appearance provides him. When Frank wakes up early in the morning, undressed for the day, he reflects: He had planned, as soon as he had his coffee, to get dressed, go out and take the lawnmower [April] away from her, by force if necessary, to restore as much balance as possible. in the morning. But he was still in his bathrobe, unshaven and fiddling with the electricity knobs... For a second he thought about hiding, but it was too late. She [Mr. Givings] had already seen him through the screen door... He was caught. He had to open the door and stand there in an attitude of welcome. (Yates 41) In Frank's naked state, he lacks confidence and power. In Western culture, mowing the lawn is typically a male responsibility that falls to a male figure in the home. However, while Frank is naked in a bathrobe, April, a woman, is mowing the lawn, taking over Frank's male duty as head of the house. Frank, in his naked state, has no authority to restore “balance in the morning” by taking April's lawnmower and fulfilling his masculine obligation. In essence, Frank feels inadequate to exert power even over a woman, one who is generally seen as submissive and weak, at least until she gets dressed. Furthermore, Frank states that “the balance in the morning” is disrupted, which illustrates that he feels insufficient and insecure; in a conventional or “balanced” relationship, April would play the role of a submissive housewife. However, Frank is literally admitting that, in her naked state, April is higher on the power continuum, upending that of an orthodox relationship, creating an imbalance or dilemma. Frank realizes that the solution to this problem is to confiscate the lawnmower and take on male responsibility, but he can't have the confidence to do so until he gets dressed. Frank is clumsy and clumsy in his naked state, "fumbling" in a fit of incoordination, a description not indicative of a confident individual. Furthermore, Frank displays shame and apprehension about his naked state; Frank feels he has to resort to "hiding" from Mrs. Givings. He doesn't even have the conviction to get up and welcome a family friend. When Mrs. Givings sees Frank unchanged, she believes he has been "taken", as if his true insecure nature has been exposed. Being found inappropriately dressed serves as a metaphor for being caught. Frank feels that Mrs. Givings has discovered his "dirty little secret":Frank is not truly a confident and powerful individual, but rather his state of mind depends on his outward appearance. Additionally, Frank is afraid that Mrs. Givings will realize that while Frank is in his "naked" state, April, who is still mowing the lawn, wearing pants in the relationship, is more powerful than Frank. Frank has a preconceived idea that clothing will give him confidence and authority. As soon as Frank is “dressed,” he feels he will have the mental vigor to “pick up” the lawnmower again, portraying a much more confident and strong personality. In fact, he is ready to use “force if necessary.” By wearing clothes, Frank will not only have the mental confidence to restore his masculinity, but also the physical strength to forcefully exert it. Therefore, in a broader sense, clothes serve as a metaphor for falsehood or personal fabrication. Frank shows that wearing clothes, augmenting his physical appearance, provides him with a false sense of confidence that is not present in his naked state. The juxtaposition between Frank's imagined and realized self further demonstrates the superficial sense of arrogance that physical aesthetics afford him. Frank reflects as he looks in the mirror: “He looked at himself in the mirror, clenching his jaw and turning his head slightly to one side to give it a leaner, more authoritative look, the face he had given himself in mirrors since childhood and which no photograph had ever completely achieved” (Yates 16). A photograph is a snapshot image of a particular moment, which captures an accurate and crafted representation of a particular individual or scene. Frank believes that “no photograph has ever quite achieved” his mental expectations and visualizations of himself. Therefore, Frank is unhappy and lacks confidence in his realized self, hinting at his true nature. The mirror also provides Frank with a made duplicate of himself: a mirror is a reflective surface that renders a clear representation of an individual. Frank, however, is troubled by this portrait, evidenced by the fact that he feels the need to change the reflected image. By turning his face and clenching his jaw, Frank turns to a favorable imaginary representation of his physical appearance. Frank visualizes himself as “leaner,” a condition with connotations of good health and good looks. Frank is simply not satisfied with the way he naturally looks in the mirror, but rather feels the need to activate his imagination to feed his narcissistic desires, to analyze his own "beauty". The process of distorting his face in the mirror to appear more handsome provides Frank with false self-confidence, illustrating the role that physical appearance plays in altering his mental state. Furthermore, Frank's imagined self is "more authoritative." The person in charge is the male embodiment of strength and arrogance, ordering others to act in a certain way. After Frank distorts the mirror image, he considers himself "more authoritative", indicating a change in personality, when in reality the only change that occurred was an imaginary change in physical appearance. This change in attitude shows that Frank's traits are not genuine, but rather stem from his appearance and are flexible to change depending on how he imagines himself. Therefore, the contrast between Frank's accomplished, insecure self and his imaginary, more beautiful, more powerful self reveals the false sense of confidence that physical appearance can provide. Furthermore, the contrast between Frank's practiced and natural versions of himself shows the artificial confidence that external appearance offers to the character. Frank immerses himself in his thoughts over a cigarette: When he lit a cigarette in the dark he was careful to arrange his features in a frown.