Authority and Self-expression in 'Rebel without a Cause' and 'Shadowboxing' Frances Bolling 11th Grade

“Rebel Without A Cause”, a 1955 film directed by Nicholas Ray and Shadowboxing, an autobiographical fiction by Tony Birch, depict the lives of teenagers as they attempt to find their place in the world. Despite the differing settings, 1950s middle-class America, and the lower class society of 1960s Melbourne respectively, both texts explore the conflict between authority and self-expression. Both texts discuss the role of school, suggesting its seeming irrelevance to teenagers and depicting teachers’ failed attempts at maintaining authority. Police authority is depicted in Shadowboxing as uncaring and out of touch with the needs of the lower classes while “Rebel Without a Cause” suggests that police authority is important to some extent. While in both texts, misguided attempts to express oneself, in the cases of Buzz and Charlie, lead to tragic outcomes, it is questionable whether adherence to authority would have offered a sustainable alternative. By the end of both texts, the two protagonists, Jim and Michael, have found, what seems to be portrayed as acceptable ways of expressing themselves. For Jim, this involves adherence to higher moral motives such as courage and honesty. Michael is portrayed in a less heroic light, but...