preview

The Movie ' Rebel Without A Cause ``

Good Essays

Could there be such a thing as a world without any parents? Well, in Nicholas Ray’s 1955 film, Rebel Without a Cause, that seems to be the case. Parents are present in the film, but it is the fact that they are virtually non-existent in their authority or role as a parent in this film. It is due to this lack of mentoring that the teenagers, such as Jim and Plato, are so misguided in their conduct and act rebellious. However, it is this exactly that Ray wants the audience to take from the film and realize the need for good parenting. The opening scene shows both Plato and Jim at the police department being held in custody due to their unlawful actions (Rebel). When Jim’s parents come to pick him up, their tones and use of diction show very little worry for what Jim has done, and as for Plato, the absence of his own mother indicates zero concern. As the film progresses, both Plato’s and Jim’s actions reflect more and more the absence of proper guidance given by the parents. Jim “occupies the status of [a] teen rebel” (Feaster). Parents are the ones that children and young teenagers tend to learn from. They view them as role models for themselves and the way they act, but the lack of parental guidance leads to several problems. Rebel Without a Cause illustrates the problems that can arise from this, which include senses of abandonment, psychological and mental issues, and violent behaviors.

To start off, Nicholas Ray makes the sense of abandonment in his film very evident,

Get Access