James Dean as the Iconic Rebel Figure Essay Example for Free

James doyen as the Iconic surface Figure EssayThe Oxford English Dictionary decided a insurrectionist as a somebody who resists license, control, or convention . These are the acknowledgmentistics of James deans covering fire personas in Nicholas irradiates freedom fighter Without a create and dear Kazans due east of nirvana. In a time where unity was a dominant ideology in union, rebellion became a way to display your own individuality. guerrilla Without a Cause and eastern United States of Eden two respectively deal with the vexing problem of the asocial youth who remain stubbornly delinquent against the atomic family. Each respective contain touches upon the puzzling display case of the fifties, which is juvenile delinquency. The films also provide ammunition for the ideological rebellious behavior for teens to parody. climb up Without a Cause and East of Eden are both concerned with five-year-old people estranged from their communities and attempt to coiffe themselves assortedly than the norm . James dean was an attractive rebel figure because he represented the raw-nerved emotions of beingness an adolescent while he also produceed a romantic, mythic nonion about, which became attractive to consultations junior and old.doyens upfront sexiness and relentless desire to imbue honor make arise Without a Cause and East of Eden films that withstand generational changes and remain prevalent within puerile society today. James doyen as the archetype for the rebel division personified a decade of defiance, and his screen portrayal of the iconic rebel sparked a cult following that superseded his life. The continued relevance and renowned side of doyens screen persona is prevalent because of its sympathetic treatment of adolescent anguish that separately director concentrated on.The enigmatic nature of the rebel icon made it easy for the viewing audience to grab hold and manifest their personal principles onto it. Dean was ca tapulted to a cult figure as he evoked the submerged pain and spoke for a generation of people who had sense of being strangle and smothered by values that were imprisoned by. Furthermore, Dean molded the formation of the tough-but-t annuler iconic teen rebel in the 1950s, and became a commodity and the legendary figure of teenage angst.Deans unbridled emotions both on and off screen became essential in both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden as they channeled the teenager in on the whole of us . The 1950s were a time when teenagers were struggling with their own identity and this idea of conformity was oppressive to their individual growth. James Dean epitomized the rebel, as his inability to stick to confined conformity both on and off screen was a major(ip) asset during 1950s filmmaking. The rebel character that was present in both films was an attempt to glorify individuality.Deans protagonist characters in each respective film were alienated, vulnerable and antisocial, wh ich were standard traits of the common rebel. The 1950s became an era where individualism had to be tempered to suit the demanded conformity. The rebel icon as a unscathed offered refuge in a time where adolescents were trapped in environments created by political and social forces beyond their control, which impeded their ability to make their own choices or realize their aspirations.Filmmakers like Ray and Kazan attempted to assert their individuality by creating these rebellious characters that went against the accepted norms and fought for what they wanted to achieve. Ray was acutely aware that the recognitions of the attractive young rebel would intonate a large following, and casting the Hollywood bad-boy, James Dean, created a synergy betwixt Deans screen persona, Jim Stark, and his real life counterpart. With his magnificent confusion, pained fragility, and unwavering sexiness, Dean became the pathfinder for teenage rebellion.Rebel Without a Cause exemplifies a thinly vei led attempt to search for authority that catapults into an attempt to search for an identity for oneself. On the other hand, in Kazans films, he exploited Deans screen persona as the rebel anti-hero in American movies, democratizing and linking the rebellious behavior to understructure in American values . This was also seen in Rebel Without a Cause however, this idea was paramount within East of Eden. By Kazan doing this, Dean as a rebel character, but also the film East of Eden became symbolic visions and vehicles of change.The integrity of the family formed the backbone conformity in the 1950s and non-conformity base on a non-traditional family was something that had non been fully explored. The non-traditional nuclear family is something that was taboo however, both Ray and Kazan deal with them in their respective films. In Rebel Without a Cause the use of sexual practice- voice reversal is apparent and within East of Eden, the idea of an absentee mother is present. These n on-traditional nuclear families pave the way for the rebel character that Dean personifies on screen.Dean is used as a sentimentalist with a yearning to refurbish the struggling nuclear family. Since the nuclear family played such an influential role, Hollywood saw it as worth saving and worth reconstructing. During this decade, the nuclear family dominated, so it was important to reconstruct the failing nuclear family in order to promote the conformity the administration and society sorely desired in cases where the nuclear family could not be restored, sickness or wound became the typical Hollywood scapegoat.While the nuclear family plays an important role in understanding the rebel character, the family plays a background role within the film itself. The nuclear family within Rebel Without a Cause features gender role reversal where Deans forefather is a weak pushover and is controlled by his overmaster wife, that in conclusion forces Dean to react in a rebellious manner. Th ese non-traditional gender roles confuse the teenage characters and spread the rebellious peculiaritys as a mean for garnering attention.In order to right these wrongs, Jim adopts a surrogate family, whereby Judy is his wife, and Plato becomes the adopted son. Since there is a lack of a traditional nuclear family, the escape to the abandoned mansion removes Dean from the compromises of the real world whereby he is able to live with Judy and Plato in an idealized version of family life, which is when he comes to the realization that he no longer needs to equate masculinity with violent rebellion and perpetuates his reintegration into society.Additionally, Elia Kazan was fascinated with James Deans personal struggles, which helped him connect to his rebellious character as Cal in East of Eden. Kazan used Deans personal problems to his advantage, exploiting them and creating a tumultuous nuclear family that mimicked the biblical bosh of Cain and Abel. The love and hate plotline that deals with forbidden love and explosive passions is reticent of the closely-known biblical tale. Cal defiant, disobedient, and uncompromi sinningg provokes the primordial conflict within the film, which impersonates his biblical counterpart Cain.Cal himself is stuck between the brooding coast of his mothers sin and the sunlit valley of his fathers righteousness, which adjusts and brings to light the coexistence of good and evil within all of us. Cal and Aron are primary demonstrations of this good versus evil idea, as they are fighting for their fathers affections, which is a paralleled allegory of the biblical tale. However, it is also applicable to the 1950s when the film was created, and can be further alter to fit modern society, which is wherefore East of Eden is a timeless film.Deans character Cal exhibits a multitude of self-destructive behavior. As a traditional rebellious character, Dean exhibits free go forth and the capacity to forgive even though he begrudges his father and blood brother throughout the diegetic. Cal is embittered with the idea that his father favors Aron, his perfect twin brother. Further, Cal attempts to win his fathers undying affection by farming beans and interchange them for a large profit. If Cal shows his father that he can create a successful business and pay back him monies lost, he would be showered with the affection he feels deprived from.Cals plan backfires and instead resorts to killing his brother by destroying his integrity in order to gain his fathers affection and adoration. However, this plan fails and at long last causes his fathers demise. The theme of reconciliation appears in East of Eden when Dean offers to take attention of his invalid father shows his father that his intentions, while misguided, were pure and only used as a make-believe for his father to notice all his hard work. Deans concern with masculinity and human beings is at the forefront of Rebel Without a Cause.Dean exhibits lesso n and psychological vertigo as he teeters on the brink of manhood , and is concerned with masculinity as there has been an apparent lacking representation of manhood within his home life. Dean is trenchant for a strong and upright male figure with whom he can identify with, which was a customary representation during the 1950s. Instead of being a strong role copy, Deans father portrayed as a craven subordinate who succumbs to the over-demanding ways of his ferocious wife.For a struggling teen, these ideals prove to be less than appropriate, which launches Dean into rebellion, in hopes of finding the role model he desperately needs and desires. In the absence of a credible adult guidance, especially from his father, Dean questions his masculinity. Furthermore, Dean equates manhood with honor. This theme of masculinity and honor is present in both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden. In Rebel Without a Cause Dean plays the role of the informer, which is an honorable characterist ic .Informing is construed as the highest act of courage, and displays a defining honorable choice. Having this moral compass helps to shape and define the man that Dean will turn in to, which is a dependable figure as he attempts to salvage Plutos insanity and Judys insecurities. Dean screen persona is concerned with not only preserving his honor, but also with surviving and thriving in a world that embodies teenage confusion. Ultimately, Deans reconciliation with hegemony makes a rebel honorable, possible by the virtue of its own authority and uninjured by psychosis, alienation, or a romanticized futility.While Dean is a rebel within East of Eden by defying his fathers orders, he has honorable characteristics when dealing with his manhood. Integrity and honor are inbuilt parts to Deans persona as he attempts to save his father and salvage his well being after an ill-advised investment. The rebel character that became a figure of non-conformity, and rugged individualism became n ot only a culture but also became a political stance as a way to cat from American hegemony. Ray uses Dean as a dissent of social control, in order to promote the independence that became synonymous with rebellious behavior.There was a pressure to conform that was button upon the young adolescents, who were already facing a confusing time during their formative years. Dean as a rebel is espoused as the cause of the protestor and stultified the inherently violent social system. The rebel sparked debate and offered a different perspective that would not have been possible with a completely conformist hegemonic society. In order to stray from a completely hegemonic society, and defy global homogenization, America can turn iconography against itself.This was a message the Ray attempted to portray by having the rebellious characters fight each other even though ultimately they believed in the same things. Psychological and social issues became prevalent and defined the two types of reb els that were present within Rebel Without a Cause. Firstly, there is the rebel that James Dean personified with displays of reconciliation and reintegration into society and secondly, there is a character such as Plato who was a clear representation of irreconcilable rebellion.Dean is able to be readmitted into society as his disaffection was not profound in the first place, and was used as a tool of expression and attention in the wake of the absence of a strong father. Additionally, Deans insubordination was sentimentalized, which furthered his reintegration. On the other hand, irreconcilable rebellion is equated to insanity, which cannot be accommodated in society, thusly forcing Platos death and the end of the film. While psychological issues can be discusses and presented within a film, insanity is not accepted during the 1950s, so to respond to this, it is imperative for Plato to die.With the death of Plato and the re-integration of Deans character, there is a theme of reha bilitation. Moreover, once the abysm of personal isolation is bridged, rebelliousness ceases and those who cannot experience rehabilitations have no place within the film diegetic. This was seen with Plato who was barb down, and Buzz who died during the chicken run he challenged Dean to. Kazans representation of the rebellious character in East of Eden was seen as a function of a lack of love and meaningful contact, which is why Cals forbidden relationship with Abra became central within the narrative.Deans screen persona is searching for the authentic self and his masculine identity, which leads him to his mother as well as his reliance on Abra. Further, Abra is the throttle valve for the reconciliations between Cal and his father as she promotes the loving relationship the Cal lacks with his father. East of Eden deals with moral values in a generation where teenagers begin to question their fathers generation. Abra became a representation of purity and control that helped bridg e the tumultuous relationship between father and son during the period of intense personal moral dilemma for the teenage rebel.All in all, the young rebel character that is firmly ingrained in our cultural imagination carries its traces to the Hollywood screen rebels of the fifties, none more than James Dean . Both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden are dealing with the protagonists movement into moral orientation and their journey into self-identification, and present themselves as remedial, therapeutic, and redemptive, which explain symptoms with implied cures.Over the decades the rebel has been a particularly enigmatical icon, where the meanings often contradict one another however, the use of James Dean as an iconoclastic rebel defined term and created the archetypal rebel character. During the 1950s, every aspect of emerging teen culture was viewed as threatening and incomprehensible however, the rebel character was used for teens to expand their personal boundaries durin g a time when the cultural landscape was largely undefined.