Rebel Without A Cause
Taylee Andruss
Jim's Traits
Jim Stark was the new kid who wanted a fresh start. He didn't want any trouble, and that's exactly what didn't happen. He would do anything to fit in. In the beginning, he faced a lot of troubles. Buzz, a bully from school, kept on calling Jim a chicken. To Jim, this was the worse thing he could have been called, because that's how he looks at his father. As a weak, helpless man because he takes orders from his wife. Buzz wanted to face Jim in a "chicken race," Jim accepted the race and he was no longer called a chicken because Jim had survived. Since Buzz had died, Jim went for his girlfriend, Judy. At first, she was mean to him, but Jim soon forgave her and fell in love with her. He is a very loyal, brave, friendly. Ask Plato, someone who didn't have anyone until Jim gave him a chance and became his friend. Jim Stark is a very caring young man wanting to have a "perfect family."
Jim really does have a cause...
Throughout the whole movie, Jim was always picked on and called a chicken. He took control of this and proved to everyone that they were wrong and he could stand up for himself. He had just moved to this new school because he got picked on before. He was standing up for himself and not taking anyone's bullying. Jim always got what he wanted and his parents always babied him, he soon realized this wasn't so cool after all. He wanted to handle things himself and man up. He was sick of being the chicken, just like his father was. That's the reason he took control and proved everyone wrong.
Jim, Judy, and Plato all rebelled. They all wanted to have the perfect family and they took that on together at the mansion. They all had their problems at home and that reflected on the way they acted. The three of them became a family and cared for each other That's all they wanted.
What Did He Learn? How Did He Change?
To me, Jim hadn't changed to much. It was his surroundings that had changed. He was always brave and stuck up for himself. His father had toughened up and became a role model for Jim, and his mother wasn't such a worried, strict, controlling person. Jim learned the true meaning of a family after he fell in love with Judy and took Plato in as a friend. He learned how to forgive and be friendly, two things he is good at.
Abandoned Masion
To many people that were watching the movie, the mansion scene looked like a bunch of kids messing around and breaking in. The true meaning of the abandon mansion was to show how much the teens wanted a "perfect family." And in the mansion scene, they were the perfect family. They all stuck together, had each others backs, and were happy. It shows how badly they wanted a family like this, that's their reason for rebelling.
Friends
*They have each others backs, because they're family.
Love
*Judy and Jim soon started to really have feelings for each other.
Family
*They act and play the scene of a "perfect family."
Theme
To me, the main lesson i had gotten from this film, is parents think their children are always up to no good and rebelling against society. It was a stereotype put upon us teenagers and the movie shows a great example of why that stereotype exists. They were rebelling to be individuals and they wanted to make their own mark in the world and not be conformed to a group, like teenagers usually are. They wanted to be themselves and have that freedom everyone deserves. They were rebelling for a cause.
If Buzz did not die, do you think he would have changed?
If Buzz hadn't died, I still think Jim would have been the "chicken." Buzz would have jumped out after Jim and would have won the race. In the end, Jim would not have fallen in love with Judy and stuck up to his father for the first time. Jim's life would have been more complicated I think if the chicken race and the bulling hadn't happened.