Rebel Without A Cause Stereotypes

The film, “Rebel Without a Cause”, directed by Nicholas Ray, takes place in the 1950’s. The story is set in Los Angeles, California, where main character Jim Stark battles to make friends at his new school, yet everyone but his new friend, Plato, is rejecting him. Plato’s parents have left him in the care of the housekeeper, never to return again. When Jim and Plato meet in jail, another character was introduced, Judy, who is desperate for the male attention she does not receive from her father. In the film, “Rebel Without a Cause”, the characters Jim, Plato, and Judy fit the typical teenager stereotype extremely well. Jim is a perfect example of the typical teenager stereotype. This is first demonstrated by the knife fight scene, in which Jim was persuaded to fight Buzz with a knife by being called a chicken. This proves that Jim is not only moody but also emotional. He hates it when someone calls him a chicken, which is why he gives in to the fight. At first he refuses, until Buzz calls him a
She is very moody, shown when she went to loving Buzz to Jim in half an hour. This is obviously extremely drastic. She is also very impulsive, shown when she walks out of the house after an argument with her father. She is quite in need of immediate popularity and does not consider the effect on her reputation. She hangs out with Buzz, because it gets her lots of attention and she does not care that everyone thinks that she is a tramp. She also has parent child problems with her father, who does not give her the affection she needs from a male. Overall, Judy fits the typical teenager stereotype very well, due to the problems with her father, where it all stems from. In conclusion, the film, “Rebel Without a Cause” contains three characters that fit the typical teenager stereotype extremely well. From Jim and his impulsiveness, to Judy and her father problems, everyone fits the typical teenager