The Origin of The Image of The Young Rebel: An Analysis of American Society Through Cinema

In the 1950s, the image of the young rebel appeared in American cinema. This study thus offers the elements to understand the reasons for its origin and delve into what it can convey about American society in the given period. By using a qualitative methodology, first, a selection of films starring young rebels from the 1950s and, second, a series of articles on these films by critics from that period in Variety magazine and The New York Times were analyzed. Employing a historical review focused on the values rooted in the social structure of the United States, individualism and, particularly, Protestantism were selected as analysis categories. Based on them, the primary information was contrasted to track continuities or discrepancies. While some research studies reclaim the contentious substratum of the representation of the young rebel in films, seeing in them a vindication of youth, the results of this study indicate a greater influx of adults instead who branded the image of the young rebel with their concerns and idealizations regarding their children and youth in general and clothed this image with traditional American values. The leading role that the image of the young rebel played at that time seems to respond to a historical context that promoted the anguish in adults during that period regarding American families and the new generations.