Still Frame Analysis

In Rebel Without a Cause, I after Plato was shot by the police for running out of the museum with his handgun, this frame shows Jim Stark zipping his jacket on Plato’s dead body, with the Crawford’s maid and Judy standing over him. Jim had offered Plato his red jacket earlier in the movie but he declined it. When Jim was with him in the planetarium, he offers it to him again and Jim says it was because Plato was always cold. This Jacket is a symbol of safety, security and protection from more than just the cold. In the planetarium, Jim sees and knows that Plato feels like he’s being attacked and he needs to calm him down so he doesn’t get killed by the police after shooting at them earlier. To calm Plato down, Jim offers him his red jacket, to create the illusion and provide Plato the feeling of safety. Jim believes that once Plato feels safe and comfortable, he will be more willing to cooperate with him and the police. Overall, this plan doesn’t workout because Plato was still shot by the police but afterwards, Jim is seen zipping up this symbol of security on Plato. This shows that Jim genuinely cares about Plato, and wasn’t just giving the coat to him so he wouldn’t kill anyone, he was giving it to him because he cared.