Rebel Without A Cause Analysis

The film Rebel Without a Cause, directed by Nicholas Ray, takes an in-depth look at juvenile delinquency. The three main characters include James Dean as Jim Stark, Natalie Wood as Judy , and Sal Mineo as John ‘Plato’ Crawford. The three juveniles all appear to lack a conducive family life, and with this appear to struggle with making rational choices. The audience gets a sense of how juveniles were perceived and treated by law enforcement and society in the 1950’s. The lack of family structure and the way juveniles were treated in the past are factors that may have contributed to juvenile delinquency.

In Rebel Without a Cause one thing becomes immediately apparent for Jim, Judy, and Plato, which is they all experience some form of neglect at home. For Jim he wants to be able to respect his father; however, he struggles with this due to his father’s reluctance to stand up for himself when dealing with Jim’s

At one point Jim goes to the police station to inform them of what happened during the “Chickie-run” and Buzz’s death; however, the desk sergeant brushes Jim aside as if what he had to say was not important. I believe law enforcement today would be quick to acknowledge juveniles and try to get them the necessary help they need. One conflicting thought I have is how law enforcement released all the juveniles at the beginning of the film without any repercussions. In today’s justice system I believe juveniles would not have been let off with a slap on the wrist, but instead would be held accountable for their actions along with much needed counseling and/or therapy. I believe the justice system in the film clearly failed these juveniles in the sense of not giving them the help needed in order to prevent future delinquent acts. If the necessary help had been given it might have prevented Plato’s and Buzz’s untimely