Plato, the menace in Dawson
Rebel Without a Cause
Mr. Weirdo
Plato was known a troubled young man, he was also very mysterious. He didn't have many friend nor did he have much of a family either. Once he had met Jim and Judy, he wished that they were his parents because he made them happy. Not only that, he wore different colored socks which represented how he starts off the day nervous, or how he will always be a kid and never learn.
Family
Plato didn't have a the support of his actual family so he imagined one. He imagined his new friend, Jim, as his father and Judy as his mother.
Colorful Socks
Shows he was never taught right from wrong. It shows his undeveloped mind.
Lonely
Plato was never really supported from his parents and that's all he ever wanted. After his parents divorce, his father went on and left to do his own thing and his mother just went on vacations whenever. All Plato needed was some attention and love.
Want to come over?
Plato doesn't have much friends but Jim is giving him a chance. One night he asks Jim to come over to hang out. He tells him that no one is ever home.
Double whammy
After Plato's violent incident, at the police station he tells the officer that his mother leaves him a lot and hasn't seen his father in a long time. Not only that, it was his birthday and Easter yet he was left alone.
Never had fun
At the mansion he tells Jim and Judy how he has never had fun because he was always alone.
Menace
Plato may seem like a nice young boy that would never cause harm to anyone but don't be fooled. Don't push his buttons or you will face Plato's craziness. Plato killed several puppies with a gun on his birthday because he needed to release anger. Gun boy has two other cases on his hands, he also shot a teenager and shot at a police officer.
Plato's problems...
Plato's main problem is that he feels that he isn't loved by anyone. Especially the important people in his life, his parents. I believe that is the reason why Plato has trouble making friends and the reason why he builds up so much anger. He also doesn't know how to control his anger which is a huge problem because it always get's him in trouble.
Do you ever learn Plato?
Throughout the film, Plato did not change nor did he learn anything. He was introduced to us with a violent act and stayed that way till the end. I thought Plato would learn and change because of Jim. Even though they only knew each other for a day, they both knew they had a connection because they had much in common. My hypothesis was that Plato would change because he finally got a friend and that's all he ever wanted but we were wrong. He couldn't let go of his old ways and that got him killed.
Symbol - The Mansion
The symbolic thing about the mansion is that when they were all in the mansion, Plato imagined it as if it were a family. He imagined Judy and Jim as his parents and he was their child. He even told them that he imagined the two as his parents while in the house. It's symbolic because it's showing what Plato hasn't had in a long time and that's a happy existing family.
Theme - Belonging and Family
Belonging and Family is the theme because all three of these characters have problems with their families, also have problems belonging in groups. Plato's parents weren't there for them to help with whatever problem he had. He was also a loner because the way the film put it, he didn't belong in any group. Judy had problems with her parents because they didn't show the love that she wanted. Judy was caught in a crowd that she didn't belong in and that influenced her to do bad things. Jim didn't have the dad that he wanted. He wanted a father that showed a authority and took no crap from anyone. He also found himself having trouble getting into any group.
Group Question
For what reasons do Jim's parents want Jim to stay home instead of going to the police after Buzz dies?
Well isn't this obvious? His parents didn't their son to be a criminal. Jim would have gone to a juvenile detention center or jail because he was the guy that was doing the chickie run with Buzz. I wouldn't want my son turning himself either. Especially when it was those kids faults for persuading Jim into doing it. Not only that, it motivated Jim to do it because otherwise that group of kids would keep calling Jim chicken. Finally, I believe that Jim has gotten into enough trouble with the police and don't want his life to become any more difficult.