Rebel Without a

Cause is about masculinity, it can best be understood in light of Shakespeare’s The Two Noble Kinsmen. The imagery and symbolism are chivalric in nature — the questions ‘how can one be a man?’ and ‘what is a man?’ are asked often, and this is James Dean’s central issue. It’s amazing to see how times have changed; it mattered very much in 1955 whether or not your father was a good father, but it does not so much matter now. Being a good father nowadays means simply being a good human being; being kind and gentle and understanding, etc.. But In 1955 being a good father meant instructing your son about 'how to be a man' (terribly important — and very different from raising a daughter -- well perhaps she would need to learn from her mother: ‘how to be a woman’). In Rebel Without a Cause being a good father is about men and boys (although Natalie Wood’s father mistreats her -- he won’t kiss her because he considers her ‘loose’ --  back then what happened to her is of less importance). What is of primary importance in this film is the look on James Dean’s face when he questions his father Jim Backus: “If you had to do something, and it was dangerous, and it was a question of honour, what would you do?” This question means little to us today, and in fact would not be asked by a young man, as we live in a culture which has rejected the orthodoxy of masculinity, and indeed we consider masculinity to be fundamentally toxic. In The Two Noble Kinsmen as in Rebel Without a Cause -- men must be noble. This means that they respect their enemies, even love them — the men they may kill in battle the next day -- it’s all about honour, which means acting bravely together, whether on the same team or on opposing sides. When Dean is about to race a car to the edge of a cliff with another boy — to see who jumps out of the car first —  he and the boy talk, quite respectfully — man to man. The boy says to Dean “I like you.” And Dean asks ‘Why do we do this?” And the boy replies “You gotta do something, don’t ya?” It’s evident that strong young men must use their bodies, fling them about, compete, and sometimes kill each other. It’s a matter of honour. It’s all about men, and it all has deeply queer implications, to those of us sensitive to that sort of thing. Nicholas Ray himself was a homosexual; his marriage with Gloria Grahame was a strange sort of sham, he was a drug addict, he hated himself. He tried to insert a scene in Rebel where Dean and Sal Mineo (Plato) kiss. Apparently it was actually shot (where is that footage?) but ended up on the cutting room floor. Everything about Plato is tied up in his name — platonic love — ideal love that can only exist between men, because it is by definition the purest love, and has nothing to do with women’s bodies. Women’s bodies  -- according to early modern sexuality (and still, to some degree today) are mired in blood, and mud, and deeply attached to the ground. Women’s sexuality is not pure— however men’s can be, that is if they do not habour excessive desire for women, but only procreate. The two noble kinsmen (in the play of the same name) love each other purely, as warriors, until they both fall in love with the same woman. The woman, of course, comes between them, drags them down with her body -- which is of the earth. Similarly in Rebel Without a Cause the relationship between Natalie Wood and James Dean is only pure, is only acceptable, because it is ‘platonic’ they talk a lot about love and kiss once, chastely, with their faces only, their bodies are not involved. But their love is also inextricably tied to Plato, it is somewhat about him; they can love each other purely because they both love Plato, who of course must die, because he is an angel, and not of this world. What are we to do with all this, today? The ‘moral’ of Rebel Without a Cause is that Jim Backus (famous for voicing the myopic, nerdy, cartoon character Mister Magoo) is dominated by his wife, and men must never be dominated by women, they must always be strong, and brave, and fight with honour. As I said above, presently our values are reversed. We live in a feminized culture that essentially rejects masculinity — except in it’s least ‘masculine’ forms. Am I a ‘men’s libber' standing up for male rights? Of course not; I’m would not be very happy in the world of Rebel Without a Cause, as in that world the gay boy always dies; and Dean and Mineo can only love each other chastely. This old veneration of masculinity is an anachronism. On the other hand -- though we must protect women and embrace feminine values — it will not do any good to assume that all masculinity is toxic: this will merely drive masculinity underground (QAnon) where it becomes a cult of fascism and male worship. This is the danger of trans theory, which is anti-sexual, anti-body, and homophobic. We all have bodies. Men have bodies, male bodies, strong bodies, they are stronger than women, and they have too much testosterone; it effects us emotionally and spiritually. This does not mean we have a right to abuse, it means that if you do not allow us to be masculine — which means to be, proud, brave, strong, compete in extreme physical activity — then yes we will most certainly turn toxic and destructive. The world of masculinity is alien to me; I am an effeminate gay man and a drag queen; I’ve never understood masculinity, masculine men are generally alien to me, and scary, I’m not even attracted to them. I prefer femininity. But just as I think I should be able to express my femininity, I think that men should also be able to express their masculinity -- and women too! Lastly, the most plaintive cry in this film comes when Plato, disillusioned, screams at Dean “You’re not my father!” Everyone in Rebel Without a Cause is looking for a family. COVID-19 has ripped many queers from their non-biological families, for many these are the only family we have. Some of us are wandering about -- right now -- wide eyed, lonely, like Sal Mineo -- we can only hope the guns we carry are not loaded.