Taking on an Adolescent Mindset in Rebel Without a Cause

The 1955 film, Rebel Without a Cause is a seminal film for its period, not for its cinematic or literary excellence, but for what it conveyed to post-war adolescents embarking on a trajectory of shifting social mores, namely a paean for emotional expression and acceptance of social outcasts. The story fearlessly exposes elements of the dreaded rebellious adolescent; an age group alienated by parents and family, seeking greater meaning and value through questionable means, lacking confidence, and only acquiring validation and acceptance from peers. The writer/director of the film seems to take the point of view of a juvenile delinquent, constructing a sympathetic portrait of maladjusted youth rather than that of standard 1950’s middle class adults. The story does not condemn nor promote the wild behavior it depicts, but rather holds it up to an ambilivent kind of scrutiny. Subjected to widespread censorship, the film was daring for its time for failing to uphold production code standards in its representation of criminal behaviors that go unpunished. More importantly, Rebel Without a Cause struck a chord for many teenagers who were moved by honest depictions of irreverent adolescents empowered to stand up against the hypocrisy of an older generation. The story models a level of compassion and sensitivity for the human condition that allows the viewer to question social prejudices of the time and the moral courage it takes to face down those prejudices.
Rebel Without a Cause depicts post war teenagers as impulsive, mercurial, hypersensitive protagonists who feel tremendous alienation from parents and family. The story concerns three middle class high school age delinquents who first cross paths at the juvenile divis...

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...using to dispense meaningful advice during life threatening crises. Most importantly, Jim stands out from the crowd as an unlikely protagonist, a delinquent who fearlessly registers compassion and sensitivity for the human condition. In a judgmental world of “no,” the character of Jim represents the relative liberty of the mindset of “yes.” Jim’s character demonstrates how youth can become empowered and stand up to hypocrisy with sincerity and moral strength. It is no surprise that this film became a touchstone for a generation that would help usher in the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, peace protests and other demonstrations of significant conviction in the 1960’s. Rebel Without a Cause surely played a role in the 1950’s to denounce traditional prejudice and expand societal tolerance and compassion for overlooked aspects of the human condition.