Jim’s Confused Family

The film Rebel Without a Cause teaches the importance of the relationship between parents and their children. The relationship between Jim Stark (James Dean) and his parents helps the viewers understand why he has so many problems. Jim tries to find a father figure in his father, but his overbearing mother always takes control of his father. Jim wants to see his father stand up for himself. Rebel Without a Cause exemplifies the incompetence of Jim’s parents to act as responsible adults, and their unwillingness to help their child become an adult.
In the police station at the beginning, Jim’s parents argue, and he interrupts them by exclaiming, “You’re tearing me apart! You say one thing, he says another, and everybody changes back again.” This causes Jim to release the anger and frustration that he holds inside of him. His father states what he really feels, but his mother forces him to side with her. Love and affection are not the only things that Jim need, ...