Rebel Without A Cause Character Analysis

Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family. Family is a key part of everyone’s life and makes a person who they are. Family gives people somewhere to go to when they are struggling or cannot figure out what to do. Nicholas Ray directs the 1955 award winning drama film, Rebel Without a Cause. Jim Stark (James Dean), Plato (Sal Mineo), and Judy (Natalie Wood) are not all friends at the beginning, but through a series of events their friendships create a mini family. Rebel Without a Cause shows a couple of rebellious teens who have little to no guidance at home trying to be themselves in a society that will not allow it to happen.

This is what Holden referred to when he said he didn’t even think. In spite of Holden’s initial actions to seek some sort of human contact, once Sunny (the prostitute) arrived, he once again begins to distance himself. He lied to her about his age, name, and why he didn’t think he should sleep with her (he was recovering from surgery). This is one of the ways that Holden isolates himself time and time again. Another example is when he ran into his former classmates mother and he lied about his name and told her that he was out of school early because he needed brain surgery to remove a tumour. These lies that Holden tells others are his way of interacting with others while still isolating his true self for protection.

A large part of Holden’s depression stems from his hatred of the adult world that Holden believes is full of “phonies.” To Holden, phony people are not limited to purely “fake” people, but also people who act in a stereotypical way. For example, if a Catholic preached to him and asked him if he was a Catholic, they would be “phony” in his eyes, because they behaved in a way that is generally expected of them. However, this view that Holden holds is hypocritical of him, because he is constantly making generalizations and lying at impulse to almost everyone he meets just because he “feels like it” (Salinger 58). Holden cannot control his compulsive lying which shows that his control over his primal instincts is restricted which is likely a

Holden has shown many signs of having post traumatic stress. Some of the signs Holden had was as stated “triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions.” Holden always bring up Allie his brother, even when he wrote compositions for Stradlater, “So what I did, I wrote about my brother Allie’s baseball mitt,”(Salinger,38) Holden always tends to bring up the past. This is one of the many signs that Holden shows as the book progress. In the text, “All of a sudden, on my way out to the lobby, I got old Jane Gallagher on the brain again,” (Salinger, 76). Holden continuously brings up many people that has made him feel this way about people. Holden also demonstrates a lack of control when it comes to talking to people. When Holden brother Allie died when Holden was just 13, he punched out all the windows out of the garage saying, “It was just for the hell of it,” (Salinger, 39). This indicates that Holden is not a healthy psychologically adolescent, as he can’t articulate the thoughts of his actions. Holden’s lack of control and ability not to let go of the past shows how Holden is not mentally

Holden is literally about to crash. Near the beginning and the end of the novel, Holden cant keep himself in the same school for very long, mostly because he never applies himself in his classes, for example holden says in the book: “they kicked me out. I wasn’t supposed to come back after Christmas vacation, on account I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself at all”,(4) holden is obviously aware of his flunking and still doing nothing about his failures within the classes he has taken. Many times in the novel we see Holden lie multiple times throughout the book. At one point in the book Holden even realizes he is a compulsive liar claiming "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life"(16) Holden almost seems proud of himself for being such a great liar.

There is another lesson Holden had to learn. He needed to learn how to be satisfied with his company. He was always looking for someone to call or someone to talk to. When he finally did have some company, he did nothing but criticize them. For example, Sally Hayes went out with Holden, and throughout the entire time he complained and criticized her. He

Salinger proves this by…, “He's dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You'd have liked him” (43). Holden’s brother died and that is a big loss for him to face, which causes him to isolate himself so he does not get too close. This quote shows that he is afraid he will get hurt and other people will leave him like his brother did when he died. Salinger writes, “I told him I wasn't going to chuck it at anybody, but he wouldn't believe me. People never believe you” (42). This shows that Holden has had bad experiences with people believing him in the past, and thinks all people are that way. Salinger also proves this by…, “Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody” (234). This makes it clear that Holden is afraid of getting attached to anyone because they could leave at any moment and he would miss them. It is evident that Holden has been hurt in the past with his brother’s death and other people abandoning him and that he is simply afraid of getting close to other

It is clear to me that Holden has well I wouldn't say communication problems but very close to it. I see that when he goes on the date with Sally Hayes it exhibited his difficulty at cooperating with others. At first, he gives us a dire impression of Sally, “I wasn’t too crazy about her, but I’d known her for years.” (slainger105) I see that holden doesn't want to necessary express himself and suppress his feeling and affection to seem he is tough. I would implore holding to go out in the world and act like how he really is and not to make a fake false persona of himself. Holden is suspended between adulthood and childhood. Several of his actions and words show evidence of his confusion between adults and children. Admitting to his immaturity, Holden says, “I was sixteen then, and I’m seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I’m about thirteen.” (Salinger 9) Sunny, the prostitute is an example of Holden’s attempt to be an adult, but realizing he is stuck in childhood. You see my son is really trying to be someone he is not and I think that his school life has an important role in that.

Holden’s silence can be attributed to Maurice’s suggestion that he’s reluctant his parents will learn he “spent a night with a whore,” (Salinger 111). His mother is prone to nerves, so Holden’s father, a corporation lawyer, is the disciplinarian. Holden respects his father but doubts the altruism of his occupation. Of lawyers, he says; “Even if you did go around saving guys’ lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys’ lives

However, he admits that while the couple’s actions are “crumby” (Salinger 81) and crude, he is still aroused and “wouldn’t mind” (Salinger 81) doing it, especially to a girl he is attracted to. While Holden wants to preserve his innocence by not thinking about sex at all, he agrees that he is a “sex maniac” (Salinger 81), and is a fiend about losing his virginity. Holden even goes as far as to make rules for himself. On page 82, he recounts, “I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in the ass. I broke it, though, the same week I made it-the same night, as a matter of fact” (Salinger). He is slowly losing his innocence, and while he hates to admit it, Holden’s constant thoughts about sexuality is a sign of adulthood. To him, one should only have sex with someone they truly love. Holden is almost proud of himself for having such a morally correct view of sex. This is why he is so riled when he discovers that Stradlater had sex with Jane Gallagher. Holden realized that Jane barely knew Stradlater and felt that he, if anyone, should be dating Jane. His increasing thoughts on sexuality and loss of a conventional or shielded view of sex show that his loss of innocence is apparent.

In the book “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden gets kicked out of his school,Pencey Prep, for poor grades. He causes trouble with the kids at Pencey Prep and decides to leave and stay at a hotel in New York where he causes even more trouble. People dispute over Holden's maturity or lack there of in the book. Some people view Holden's actions and thoughts to be justifiably mature. However others refuse to make excuses for his behavior and see his behavior as what it it, immature. Holden above all else demonstrates immaturity in the book “The Catcher in the Rye.”

Later on Holden recalls when he was attending Pencey College how his gloves were stolen by some crook. He continues describing the situation of confrontation hypothetically, at first with assertion and authority. Eventually he admits to himself, “Only, I wouldn’t have the guts to do it. I’d just stand there, trying to look tough” (Salinger P. 99). Holden goes on to describe to the reader his unaware fear of confrontation and violence, hinting at a dread of vulnerability and a closed off persona, another clear sign of Major Depressive Disorder. When Holden was a younger boy he knew a girl named Jane Gallagher whom he was childhood friends with, they often even held hands and had an emotional bond. Ever since he heard about Stradlator (his old roommate) taking her out on a date he’d been thinking of calling her up. Finally on page 130 he calls her up and her mother picks up. Startled, she hangs up and admits he should’ve asked for Jane, “But I didn’t feel like it. You really have to be in the mood for that stuff” (Salinger P. 130). His inability to feel motivated to make an effort for somebody he once loved shows his social-isolation.

As the novel progresses, it becomes difficult to relate to Holden Caulfield as he shows irrational thinking, terrible ways of coping with stress, and a negative attitude. Holden was absolutely irritated with Sally Hayes as she does not agree with his plan to run away and begin a new life. Rather than Holden expressing his feelings with Sally in a considerate way, Holden irrationally lets out his emotions which made her cry. With this in mind, Holden says “I know I shouldn’t’ve said it, and I probably wouldn’t’ve ordinarily, but she was depressing the hell out of me” (Salinger 149). Holden acknowledges the fact that this was certainly not the proper approach to his situation. In contrast to

James Dean’s character in Rebel Without a Cause represents the psyche of the American Youth of the 50s and beyond in many ways. For example, a trouble drunk teen at the police station. Everybody thinks he has a wonderful life style. Wealth, Good looks, and a so called happy family. But deep down we get to know James Dean’s character. Meaning we know what ticks. He explains that he has trouble finding his identity. Which we recognize that even youth who are very fortune still can’t be satisfied. Him trying to find his own identity can be very difficult for youth during the 50s and beyond. During that period of time new technology is being developed, new laws and regulations for certain minorities, and also new products released. In Addition

When the reader looks back at Holden’s history they can make assumptions as to why Holden wants things to stay the way they are. The general assumption would be because Holden is very distant to people who are dear to him. He mentions his younger sister, Phoebe frequently but cannot connect with her in any way due to Holden’s enrollment in a relatively distant school. Holden also recalls his two brothers, Allie and D.B., whom he is exiled from in result of Allie’s tragic fate and D.B.’s migration to California. The death of Holden’s favorite person, Allie, results ultimately in the unstable mental condition that controls Holden. Holden’s fascination with children and their mentalities is driven from Holden’s mourning of Allie’s death. While Holden tries to resist changing, he is identifying himself with Allie. Critic, Hermit Vanderbilt, agrees that, “Obviously despairing at the cosmic injustice of such an early death, Holden falls into a schizophrenic disorder interested in keeping him from growing up and keeping the role of Allie alive.” (Vanderbilt 299). In addition to the laments of personal loss, Holden also desires a stagnancy of time because of his fear of losing his moral purity. This is shown when Holden speaks about how his older brother, D.B., has lost his moral standards in the pursuit of fame. Holden feels D.B. has strayed far from his truly respectable writing when D.B. “sold himself out” to the expectations of Hollywood. Holden refers to D.B. as a