Plato's End-o
The disturbed rebel with nobody to turn to
Plato's Traits
Plato was friendly(maybe not to puppies), but when Jim first arrived at school, Plato was the only one who asked to hang out with him. Plato tries to help Jim at the planetarium, and sticks up for him at the chicken race, saying "He's not afraid of you" to Buzz.
Although he may have been friendly, Plato was very introverted and shy. It's pretty obvious he lacked the experience to talk to people well. He didn't have many friends, before Jim came along. Even at the police station, he has a hard time talking to anybody, even his housekeeper/caretaker.
The most apparent trait of Plato was that he was damaged. Neglected by his mother and father, he searches for something to fill that void. He may have also been looking for attention when killed those puppies. Near the end of the film, Plato yells at Jim saying "You're not father!". Clearly the boy was disturbed in some fashion.
Plato's rebellion
Throughout the film, Plato often finds himself in situations, where he does some pretty violent things. When he shoots the puppies during in the beginning, this could be his way of trying to get attention with his own parents. Since Plato's father is out of the picture, Plato focuses on Jim and sees him as a father figure.
Plato's change
Sadly Plato did not learn from his experience due to the fact that he was shot dead by the police. He never got to have the fatherly love, or motherly care he wished for.
Plato's symbol
One of the symbols that followed Plato, were his mismatched socks. Plato's socks could represent a lot of things. Possibly reflecting his dysfunctional family. Why would a boy, who dresses very nicely everyday have mismatched socks? Of course, there's a deeper meaning here.
The main theme of the film
I think the main theme of the film is to not conform, and to be yourself. We've heard that rhetoric since we were kids, but it's been going around for quite a while. Jim tries to confrom with Buzz's gang, but finds himself alienated instead. After Judy hears from Plato, that he's a nice, honest, guy who speaks his mind, she begins to fall for him. The film, in a way, romanticizes the rebel, but praises the ones who can retain their individuality.
Why the puppies?!
Killing some puppies for no real reason, sounds pretty harsh to most people. It was never really clearly stated in the film Plato's motive for doing so. I believe it probably had to do with Plato's relationship with his parents, which isn't anything new. The killing of puppies, may have been a cry for attention, or possibly a way of 'blowing off steam', despite how vile that sounds. Who knows? Perhaps Plato was trying to impress some peers by doing something bad?