Plato Character Analysis
Keri Zimmerman
Rebellious
Plato was rebellious because he shot the puppies. He had no reason to shot them so he probably did it for attention. Plato also doesn't listen to what he is told like when he was told not to leave the house he just leaves anyways, ignoring what his guardian told him. Plato also decides to leave the group at the planetarium to explore by himself even though he was told to stay together as a group.
Unusual
Plato is unusual because he wants Jim to be his "dad". He asked to go hunting and fishing together like a father and son would because he doesn't have a father in his life. Plato also makes weird noises while on the field trip at the planetarium giving him the nickname Plato. Plato likes the smell of Jim's jacket when he was given it to keep warm. He is unusual because he smells the jacket before he actually wears it.
Photo: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/rebel-without-a-cause/images/30654255/title/jim-plato-fanart
Follower
Plato is a follower because he goes everywhere with Jim. He follows him to watch the chickie run. He doesn't make his own decisions in life. Plato also follows Jim and Judy to the abandoned house when he wasn't even invited to go with them. If Plato wouldn't have been a follower he wouldn't have ended up running from the cops in the end and shooting people. He ended up being killed at the planetarium.
Photo: http://www.theaceblackblog.com/2011/01/movie-review-rebel-without-cause-1955.html
Plato's Challenges
In the movie Plato has many challenges. He doesn't have a mother or father to live with him and care for him. He has to learn to do almost everything by himself. Plato is desperate enough to do anything for attention. He even asks Jim to be a father for him because he was never lucky enough to have a caring father. This leads to why Plato shot the puppies. He did it to get attention because he never gets any. These challenges make Plato choose to be a rebel. He doesn't want to be home all the time because he doesn't have any parents. He also decides to be a rebel to fit in with others to make friends. Plato hasn't changed a lot throughout the movie because he still acts the same and does things to get attention.
Plato's Mismatched Socks Symbol
Plato's mismatched socks were a symbol for how he has to do everything by himself. He doesn't have anyone to help him get ready everyday. It shows how Plato is missing a part in his life. They also represent how he has two different sides to his life. One of the socks shows his bad kid side where he does things for attention. The other sock represents how he is a sad kid who just wants people to actually care for him.
Theme
The main theme of the movie is belonging and family. Plato just wants to have friends so he makes the mooing noise at the planetarium. He also asks Jim to be his father because he wants someone to go hunting and fishing like a normal father and son would do. Plato didn't have anyone to talk to or consider his friends until he meets Jim who means the whole world to him.
Photo: http://cinemeccanica.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/youre-tearing-me-apart/
Whom Do You Feel For Most and Why?
I feel for Plato the most because he has no one to call his parents. He had to shoot the puppies in order to get attention for once. He gets upset when he receives child support money from his father but no note with it. I think the main reason Plato is a rebel is because he doesn't like staying at home without parents and to get attention. Plato may have acted different if he actually had parents actively involved in his life.