Plato Crawford
A Rebel Without a Cause
Why does Plato Rebel, if He is a "Rebel Without A Cause"?
Despite the movie being called, "Rebel Without a Cause", I think that each character had a real reason that they were rebelling. In Plato's case, I think he is rebelling because he wants to feel some sort of affection from someone, to have someone actually show that they care about him. If he rebels, and does something bad, someone may show him that they feel bad for him, and want to comfort him, which I believe is what Plato ultimately wants, due to the fact that he does not have a good family life. He has no father or mother, and he just wants attention from someone, which is why he does the things he does, such as shooting puppies.
Plato's Traits
Lonely
Plato does not have much of family or friends. He has no mother or father, and it seems the only the person that cares about him is his maid. However, even his maid knows that he's lonely, as when he died, she said he was lonely. He also tries hard to get Jim to be a father to him, so that he would have a father as well as a friend.
Disturbed
Plato is disturbed because he shoots puppies. When he was asked about giving a reason why he shot the puppies, he was not able to give one, and I think that anyone that shoots puppies without a reason is quite disturbed. I think that it is also disturbing that he tries to make Jim his father, even though the two have known each other for about a day.
Scared
Plato seems like a very scared and hesitant individual. The reason for this may be because he feels as though those he cares about in his life leave him (his mother and father), and he may be worried about losing others. You can tell that he is scared and hesitant when he is at the planetarium, he will not leave after the police arrive.
Who in the Film had the Work Family Situation, and Why?
I think that Plato had the worst family situation. He had no parents at all, which in my opinion, is worse than in Judy's case, your father not showing you enough affection, or in Jim's case, his father being a "chicken". At least Judy and Jim have the chance to work something out with their parents, and strengthen their relationship. Plato has no chance, and he is being forced to grow up without parents.
Does Plato Change in the Movie?
No. I don't think that Plato really changes in the movie, as he did not have enough time due to his life being cut short. I think though, if the police had not killed him, he may have changed because of Jim's friendship. Plato seems like he had no friends, and perhaps Jim being his friend would have completely changed him, because he would not longer be so lonely.
Plato's Mismatched Socks
There is symbolism in Plato's mismatched socks. I think that helps to show the confusion and uncertainty in the teen's lives. The teens seem to be uncertain about what they want from life, and their families, which is why they are rebelling. They are confused about why their lives are the way they are. The mismatched socks help to symbolize these feelings because not having matching socks can show confusion.
Theme of Rebel Without a Cause
I think that one theme of the movie could be people blaming teenagers for their own problems. With Jim, his parents blame him for having to move so many times, when it's their own choice that they're moving. With Judy, her dad will not show her love back, because of what she is doing, even though all she really wants is love.