The reflection of the youth rebellion value in james dean

Oleh :
Lesti Widorowati Krisnapuri - C1305521 - Fak. Sastra dan Seni Rupa

ABSTRACT 2008. This research is conducted to find out the reflection of the American value called the Youth Rebellion value by taking one of the American legendary actors named James Dean as the personification of the American youth rebel that can embody the youth’s beliefs and values. The belief that youth is a transitional phase from childhood dependence that usually involves the rebellious stage has existed in the American mindset and has developed from time to time. James Dean becomes the perfect reflection that can describe the youth rebel values because he lived in a period where youth came as a category in American society. He lived in 1950s where the youth’s “in-between” position was admitted and has close relation with deviance. The objective of this research is to find the reflection of the Youth Rebellion value found in James Dean. The main source of data used in this research was James Dean’s biography written by Wolfgang Fusch (1989) where many facts about this actor are found. The main data were taken from one of his movies entitled Rebel Without A Cause produced by David Wisbart, directed by Nicholas Ray, distributed by Warner Bross and released in 1955 and some of his image in American postcard issued by the Ludlow Collection published by Classico San Francisco Inc. under licensed by the James Dean Foundation in 1990. The supporting data were taken from a clip performing an interview, criticism and article about James Dean and Rebel Without A Cause found in internet. 1. Mahasiswa jurusan Sastra Inggris dengan NIM C1305521 2. Dosen Pembimbing Therefore, to achieve the goal, the researcher applied library research in the form of descriptive qualitative research. Since this research was arranged within American Studies framework, some theories and approaches were used in analyzing the data. They were semiotic theory, sociological approach, historical approach and biographical approach. After conducting the analysis, the researcher came to conclusion that James Dean reflects the Youth Rebellion value through his behavior and also through his appearance. From his behavior, it can be seen through his hobby in racing and from his exploration in acting. Meanwhile, his appearance is revealed throughout his fashion style and his body language. All are mold into unity that personify and describe the Youth Rebellion value.