Ignorance without a Cause
...himself to make changes that he can have control of. What Jim didn’t realize was that he is his own person and despite the inferiority of his father he doesn’t have to grow up to be the chicken he was raised by. A little introspection would have led both Jim and his parents to a better understanding of themselves and would have helped them make wiser decisions that would keep Jim from getting into trouble with the law. Another character and a romance of Jim during the escapade, was Judy. She was also conflicted by the ignorance of her parents and somewhat of herself. Judy, unlike Jim, had a strong and assertive father that ran the house. But like Jim, Judy’s father was ignorant of her needs and put his feelings before hers. All she wanted was for her dad to be as caring and affectionate as he was to her when she was younger. He realized she had reached the point in her life when she needed to become an adult but he immaturely slapped her when she tried to give him a kiss. Striking his daughter who was looking for affection was a belligerent action but Judy’s ignorance did have some part in the conflict. She wanted her dad to love her so much she forgot how mature she had become and how uncomfortable it would make him feel. Again the trouble she got herself into could have been avoided had either one of them thought about the others’ feelings before acting. This conflict was the major source of Judy’s internal pain but it wasn’t nearly as serious as her and Jim’s friend Pluto. The worst case of juvenile delinquency in the movie belonged to a lonely teenager named Pluto. His parents’ ignorance was so far beyond anything that Jim or Judy had experienced that he was even incapable of helping himself. The complete lack of care or presence truly drove this young man insane. The one thing a child needs most to maintain a healthy mental state is love and support from their parents. Neither one of Pluto’s parents were ever there to comfort him and by doing so they single handedly yet indirectly led him to trouble and ultimately to his death. To even give a kid a chance at life a parent must at least make some effort to put their own ignorant and selfish feelings aside and be responsible for the life they created. Without this Pluto wouldn’t have even had a chance at a normal life even if he had survived because his problems ran so deep into his childhood that he would have been mentally unstable and in an institution. After looking at the tragedy and suffering of Pluto it only makes Jim and Judy seem more ignorant for not appreciating how good they have it and hopefully it made them realize this. Holden Caulfield, the main character of the novel The Catcher in the Rye finds himself in the complete opposite position as Pluto. Unlike Pluto, Holden’s parents were fairly supporti...