Plato: A Disturbed Young Man
Rebel without a cause
Main Problems
Plato's family barely exists. His father is not in the picture and his mother left him on Easter which was also his Birthday. Not having a structured family, Plato made bad decisions and tried to make Judy and Jim his mother and father so he could have a family. Once he met Jim, he considered him his best friend and he had only known him for a couple hours. Plato got very attached to Jim and Judy because he just wanted people to love and care for him the way his parents never did. In the beginning of the movie Plato was at the police station because he had shot a bunch of puppies. I think that he did this because he didn't want the puppies to not have a family and be like him.
Changed?
I personally do not think that Plato changed or learned from anything that happened to him throughout the film. In the beginning he was lonely, desperate, and disturbed, by the end of the film he was all of those things and the consequence for all of that was death.
Lonely
Plato doesn't have a lot of people in his life besides the lady that lives in the house with him. His mother left him and his father is not in his life. Plato needs friends and a family that loves him, instead he had no one and he is lonely.
Disturbed
Plato is a very disturbed young man. In the beginning of the movie he was at the police station for shooting puppies. I think that he is this way because his family left him and he has no one to show him guidance.
Desperate
Plato is desperate to have a family. He is so desperate that he was trying to turn Judy and Jim into his mother and father for the soul reason of him not having a family. He got attached to Jim because Jim was nice to him and he was desperate for someone to show him love.
Plato's Mismatched Socks
I think the meaning of Plato having mismatched socks is showing that he is a very lost and troubled young man. Not having parents to show him what to do and how to dress took a tole on him. The mismatched socks are showing that he has no one to guide him so he is lost in his life.
Main Lesson
The main lesson in this film is the influence of fathers. Judy, Jim, and Plato all don't have a good fatherly influence in there lives. All three of them became rebels.