Who Is John Bender In The Breakfast Club

2. Throughout the entirety of The Breakfast Club, John aka Bender is the fuel for much of the rebellious decisions’ conducted by the five adolescent teenagers. He is your stereotypical “bad boy”. The clothes he wears, as well as the rule breaker attitude he portrays give us no reason to question that he can be classifies as a punk. In regards to Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Judgement, I would classify John Bender under the Post conventional stage. Overall, this stage is represented by the ability to go against what society considers to be conventional standards of right and wrong. In the movie, John Bender is a rule breaker and never has an issue going against rules that are enforced by others. He talks back to Mr. Vernon, locks the door, sneaks out, smokes marijuana and

seldom keeps his opinions to himself. Bender puts on a juvenile delinquent identity in public to make up for his broken home life. From the first scene of the film to the last, it is clear that John is neglected at home, as no one drops off or picks him up from the school. Due to his aggressive, careless personality and tendency to go against social norms, we can see through the majority of his actions that Bender experiences a lack of attention at home.

It is evident that the “bad boy” persona that John puts on is his way of gaining social attention from his peers. The power he initiates when confronting the other students is only a defense mechanism for the lack of power he has at home. Initially, we can see that Bender finds satisfaction in making the other students uncomfortable. For example, mocking Andrew for wrestling, taking advantage of Brian’s lunch and commenting sexual statements to Claire. Underneath Bender’s rebellion is a hurting teen, well-aware of his hoodlum status that inhibits any assumptions of weakness. It is obvious from an outsider’s perspective that deep down, Bender yearns for acceptance, as an adolescent wants. Whether Bender’s isolation is voluntary or implemented by outside high school hierarchies, Bender is too stubborn to admit he wants to be accepted. As the film progresses, he realizes that the four other students in detention are all experiencing their own pressures either at home with their parents or at school with their

peers. The final scenes of The Breakfast Club really depict Benders change in heart. His fist pump gesture as the song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” plays in the background foreshadows that the five new friends may be breaking typical high school stereotypes and going against social norms, not only in Saturday school, but in the following Monday to come.