The Contrast Between The Styles Of The Older Actors And Dean Is Indeed Jarring. They Seem Shrill And

The contrast between the styles of the older actors and Dean is indeed jarring. They seem shrill and cartoonish in comparison with Dean’s raw emotion. But the difference also makes Dean stand out. When Jim Stark tries to stop his parents’ squabbling during the police scene station sequence by screaming, “You’re tearing me apart!” his cry of pain cuts through the near-comic tone of the scene and immediately spins the film onto another emotional plane. Dean forces the audience, as Jim forces his parents, to pay attention. He seems to be channeling a generation’s worth of frustration and emotional claustrophobia.