At the heart of both films there is a sense of teen rebellion-- angsty adolescents and the want to escape the grip of their parents and have their own identities. In Rebel Without a Cause, the rebellion is more upfront, with the characters acting out to get attention from their parents and make a statement. In The Virgin Suicides, though, the rebellion is less about getting attention and more about growing up and wanting to be treated like an adult. The commonality between the teenagers in these films is that their rebellious actions stem from how stifled and suffocated they feel. For example, Jim from Rebel Without a Cause feels trapped between both of his parents. He feels like he has to pick sides in their constant arguments, and he is unable …show more content…
It is soon after that she successfully commits suicide and despite the Lisbon parents tightening their grip on their remaining daughters, the family is sent into utter turmoil. As the girls continue to test the waters of being independent-- going out on dates, making friends with the boys in the neighbourhood, attending school dances-- their parents also grow more protective. It is their lack of independence that ultimately leads to rest of the sisters to kill themselves in a suicide pact. It is a tragic series of events, one that should have no business in a teen movie, but that, in a way, is the point of The Virgin Suicides. It is not supposed to be happy or positive. It is a hard look at the lowest points of growing up, and a statement that even those who are innocent and seem to have it all can fall victim to …show more content…
In true 1950s fashion, Rebel Without a Cause plays up the melodrama and the bright colours. It strives to make a bold statement, especially during its most tragic moments. The Virgin Suicides is more subdued. It is a quiet film, subtle even at the film's climaxes and turning points. With pale colours and a far from melodramatic style of acting, it is a good representation of how movies progressed in the decades between the two films. Both films tell similar stories-- ones of "teenagers in peril" and the tragedies that cut young lives short, yet the tones of each respective film could not be more different. There was a shift in the 90s, with films being made for less money than what Hollywood was used to, particularly in the teen movie genre. This likely impacted style, especially when it came to smaller independent films such as The Virgin Suicides. It did not have a budget to be something as glamorous as Rebel Without a Cause-- no room for drag races or lavish Los Angeles locations-- but it did not need one. It was low budget, but the film was effective due to its calm, almost empty tone and simple mise en
Rebel Without a Cause is an unconventional story with a conventional, classical approach to storytelling. The film follows the seven traits of Classical Hollywood Cinema and is adapted to the hybridization of film noir, which was primarily a style of B movies, and teen drama films, which was newly emerging in the 50s.
Throughout the film we learn that each woman has setbacks within her household. One sister has a terrible drinking problem and ultimately loses her job due to excessive drinking and tardiness. The second sister has had several pregnancies that each result in miscarriages
In the movie Rebel Without a Cause, the characters portray many characteristics of a teenager living in the Atomic Age post World War II as well as modern day society; with little guidance it appears the youth of America feels lost and alone. This movie was released in 1955 and was recorded in California. This was the last film that James Dean ever starred in; which was a devastating blow to such a blossoming young man’s career and superstardom.
In “Suicide Note” composed by Janice Mirikitani, Mirkitani describes the speaker as a college student who kills herself after not receiving a perfect grade point average. When people look at her body lying down on a cover of snow, they perceive that her suicide is due to her inability to become perfect. However, on a deeper meaning, the suicide symbolizes her inability to realize the concepts of family love, hard work, and happiness. To begin with, when Mirkitani’s speaker experiences the stress from her parents as a daughter, she compares herself to a son in the family. The speaker describes herself as “if only [she] were a son,.
they learn that they have all played a part in the suicide of a young
One of the major themes that are presented throughout the whole entire movie is the dysfunctional relationship between one of the characters and their fathers. The movie portrays father figures as problematic which then shape the actions and the characters themselves as the movie progresses. We can see all three dynamics of the father figure presented through Jim, Judy, and Plato. Through Jim, the father figure that he is presented with is a father who is weak allows himself to be walked on by Jim¡¯s mother and grandmother. Judy¡¯s father, on the other hand, is quite the opposite of Jim¡¯s father in that he is the overbearing, masculine, and insensitive. Lastly, we see the absence of a father figure in the life of Plato which completes the list from all three sides.
In The Virgin Suicides, there is no character development of the narrators as they serve solely to tell the story to the readers, even if they occasionally share their own opinions. Therefore, there is no need for the reader to know who the boys really are, as long as they explain the story of the Lisbon girls. This only serves to help the reader get a side of the story that’s relatively unbiased, since it’s not from the Lisbon girls themselves. This is contrary to The Yellow Wallpaper, where the ambiguity of the narrator actually adds an important element to the story: mystery. We never find out the name of the narrator, nor much of her background or what is to become of her once the story is over. The only clues the reader gets are from what she mentions about herself, her husband, her sister-in-law and from a single line she writes near the end of the story: “‘I’ve got out at last,” said I, ‘in spite of you and Jane?’…” (Gilman, 656). This line could mention her name, however, it could also be a misprint of her sister-in-law’s name, Jennie. It could also be the final clue into who she was before her downward spiral into madness through her time in the Rest Cure. This possible name is one of the only indications one has of the narrator’s identity, other than an estimated age, that she has a child and is
This novel is about Teens who battle guilt, pity, and self-loathing who slowly begin to let the ones they have found themselves to love in to help fight their inner demons. The Tragedy paper is a great book that keeps the reader on edge with every decision the characters make. Many factors play into the steady developing plot, a strong love triangle contributes into the story, along with the great issue of believing in oneself, and doing what is best for one, not anyone else. The love story in this novel is between three teens, with Vanessa, an alluring young teenager, in the middle of both Patrick and Tim who continuously find themselves vying for her attention.
In both the book The Catcher in The Rye and the movie “Rebel Without a Cause” the adolescent protagonists experience monumental changes, and face many struggles which shape the way they view society. In “Rebel Without a Cause” Jim Stark, a teenager living in the 50’s is constantly moving from place to place because his parents want to maintain a picture-perfect image for society. This instability puts him at odds with his family and sets up a generational conflict. At his newest school, Jim starts to be influenced by two friends, Judy and Plato, who push him to rebel against his parents and society. Like Jim, Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in The Rye, is also a teenager living during the 50’s. However Holden, who seems
As she got older, Jeannette and her siblings made their own life, even as their parents became homeless. Jeannette and her older sister Lori decide to run away from their family in Virginia and go start a new life in New York City. However, after a few months, the rest of the family moves to New York and settles down. While in the City, Jeannette gets a job as a reporter, which was her life goal, and one day on her way to an event she sees her mother rummaging around in a dumpster. While the rest of the family gets along, Maureen, the youngest of the family goes insane and stabs their
Constance's family life is a major point of interest in the book and is really what the story revolves around. Coming from a broken family, with her dad leaving Constance, otherwise known as Clare with 5 other brothers and sisters and her mum. The Father was hardly around only to bring Christmas presents and food. Clare was abused by her mother everyday, terrible physical abuse was inflicted on the growing body of Clare, benign cancer of the breasts caused by constant punches and squeezing from her mother. Emotionally shut out and neglected by her mother, taunted and teased all the time by her mother and her new husband, frequently called UGLY and told she was not welcome and unwanted. Home life was so bad Clare took herself off to social services and asked to be put into a home but was refused, feeling helpless and life was not living she attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of bleach. "I felt sick, happy and sad. I was happy because tonight if the bleach worked I would die. No more Tomorrows. Hip, Hip hooray." This quote shows the extent of the abuse her mother used on Constance, her home life was unbearable. It is very sad to think that many children and teenagers are stuck in abusive families with no escape.
Johan Henna Professor Kaster AMH – 2020 October 9, 2014 Rebel Without A Cause Throughout history, time after time again, men are faced with the dilemma of proving their worthiness to the next man. This issue is something that has gone on for centuries and something that will continue on for every century that man is still alive. Alongside this issue that many, if not all, men are faced with, many woman are faced with the issue of gender roles. The movie “Rebel Without A Cause” came out in 1955, it shows a realistic portrayal of a young, middle class teenager fighting to earn his worth in society and within his group of peers.
Rebel without a Cause is a powerful performance that demonstrates the struggles of an all-American, middle-class family. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and San Mineo are remarkable actors that play significant roles of adolescent characters in the film. This tale is based on teenagers that have troubled lives due to the ignorance of their parents. The main message the film portrays is that children’s behaviour is influences by their parents and their parenting skills. There are several themes in this film, however the predominant theme is that conflict within the family can encourage disaffected youth.
Set in 1970s Michigan, The Virgin Suicides (1999) tells the story of the five Lisbon sisters from the perspective of four neighborhood boys, whose narration throughout the movie describes the girls’ lives, personalities, and deaths. Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux, and Cecilia Lisbon (listed oldest to youngest) live at home with their two overly strict and protective parents. The film opens up with thirteen-year-old Cecilia attempting to kill herself by slitting her wrists in the bathtub. Cecilia’s psychiatrist claims that it was simply a cry for attention, and that she didn’t intend to succeed. He suggests the girls be allowed to participate in social events, and stresses that it would benefit them to be around
The reasons why people choose suicide over resolving tangled problems are complex. However, one big cause of suicide is the feeling of helplessness that one feels after going through rough phases in life. Helplessness usually leads to depression that can further lead to suicide. Some may feel unloved and victimized in a way that triggers their thoughts of suicide. For some other helpless individuals, suicide seems to be the only option left that they should take in order to escape from what was going on. They may regard suicide as some sort of an “escapade”. In addition, suicide enables them to get relief from awful feelings like frustration and rejection. Besides, teenagers who committed suicide or planned to do so were most likely to be under pressure or stressed out due t...