Juvenile Delinquency and Dysfunctional Families in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders and Rumble Fish Diplomarbeit Zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Katharina HABERL am Institut für Amerikanistik Begutachter: Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Klaus Rieser Graz, 2016 I want to thank my parents, friends, and teachers. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Theoretical Background I: Juvenile Delinquency ...................................................................... 4 2.1. Definition and Historical Aspects ........................................................................................... 4 2.2. “Where are Mum and Dad?” – Family Troubles as a Symptom of Delinquency ................... 6 2.3. Individual Factors and Delinquency ........................................................................................ 9 2.4. Youth Gangs .......................................................................................................................... 11 2.5. Juvenile Delinquency in Film ................................................................................................ 15 3. Theoretical Background II: Dysfunctional Families ................................................................ 18 3.1. Dysfunctional Families and the Problem of Definition ......................................................... 18 3.2. Physical Abuse, Neglect, and Alcoholism in the Family ...................................................... 22 3.3. The Adolescent’s Response: Conduct Disorders and Rebellion ........................................... 29 3.4. The Influence of Siblings ...................................................................................................... 31 4. The Outsiders & Rumble Fish– An Outline ............................................................................... 34 4.1. Plot Synopsis The Outsiders .................................................................................................. 34 4.2. Plot Synopsis Rumble Fish .................................................................................................... 35 5. Analyzing Juvenile Delinquency in The Outsiders & Rumble Fish ......................................... 37 5.1. The Outsiders and Rumble Fish – typical Juvenile Delinquency Films? .............................. 37 5.2. Hollywood’s Interference in a Realistic Representation of Youth Gangs ............................. 43 6. Analyzing the Family in The Outsiders & Rumble Fish ........................................................... 52 6.1. Dysfunctional Families – The Root of All Evil? ................................................................... 52 6.2. “My brother’s the coolest.” – Sibling Relations .................................................................... 60 7. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 66 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………...69 Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………………………....74 1. Introduction “You’ll never get me alive!” (01:36:21) are The Outsiders’ Dallas Winston’s last words before he gets shot by the police. The portrayal of rebellious youth has been entrenched in film and cinema since the early days of filmography. Viewers are so fascinated by the idea of the “bad boy” that directors and screenwriters are trying to reinvent more and more stories about the defiant outsider. The genre of juvenile delinquency ('JD') emerged, presenting the viewers with the thrills of hoodlum life, pleasing people’s needs to put themselves in the shoes of the tough (anti-)hero for some hours. While 'JD' films have undergone a lot of changes throughout the past century, the obsession with bad boys remains the same. In order to amplify the stories about juvenile delinquency, stereotypes and clichés are applied, creating an even bigger yet prefabricated myth of the bad boy. This includes the broken home, difficult family relations and the rebellion against a society in which outlaws have no place or any chance of acceptance and integration. In this study, I offer an analysis of two pertinent films, using them as examples to show how juvenile delinquency is portrayed by Hollywood and perceived by the audience. For this purpose, I discuss factors for rebellious and oppositional behavior, highlighting the aspect of the dysfunctional family. The two films examined for this analysis are Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, both released in 1983 by Warner Brothers. The two films exhibit the struggle of teenage boys from dysfunctional families, looking out for perspectives and chances to lead a meaningful life. When initially watching Rumble Fish, I was not only intrigued by the cinematographic style and the skills by the main actors Mickey Rourke, Matt Dillon and Dennis Hopper but also noticed a potential for investigating the complex relationship between the two brothers and the family situation as a whole. Being strongly reminded of the film The Outsiders, also based on a novel by S.E. Hinton like Rumble Fish, I was prompted to do an investigation of the two 'JD' films to show to what extent the concepts of juvenile delinquency and dysfunctional families coincide. The Outsiders and Rumble Fish are films in which the sociological aspect is quite fundamental. The characters’ antisocial behavior is mainly due to troubling, if not disturbing, social circumstances. They are not only avoided by society but also face difficult situations within their own homes, leading to an impaired psyche. More explicitly, the boys experience neglect, abuse, or loss of parents and try to deal with the situation as good as they can but seemingly have no chance to prevent their own downfall. Thus, the films’ stories raise some interesting questions, when taking a closer look at the sociological element: In what ways do 1 the films create the image of the bad boy? In how far do sociological factors influence juvenile delinquency? Is a dysfunctional family a seal for rebellious, oppositional behavior? And how does Hollywood influence a realistic portrayal of troubled youth? This study discusses how juvenile delinquency is depicted in Coppola’s two movies, arguing that social and environmental factors are the underlying principles that eventually lead to a troubled life as an outsider of society. In this analysis, I seek to deconstruct stereotypes commonly applied by film directors to create the bad boy and convey the image of the misunderstood outcast. I further investigate the social relationships in the films, providing a psychological insight into the characters. By doing so, I also want to point out how these scenes evoke certain feelings among the implied spectators, leaving them in a tense mood. A close analysis of both films supports my thesis; thus, I will investigate the films’ narrative, their iconic and semiotic patterns as well as including the psychoanalytical approach. Hence, the work focuses on the examination of the link between poor social relations and juvenile delinquency in The Outsiders and Rumble Fish and its influence on family representation. My thesis is structured in five parts, divided into two theoretical parts to support the film analysis, one part that provides plot summaries of the two movies, and two analytical parts that particularly deal with the characteristics of the two films. The theoretical main chapters, entitled “Theoretical Background I: Juvenile Delinquency” and “Theoretical Background II: Dysfunctional Families”, provide a historical basis as well as theoretical reflections which are necessary to understand the correlation of social factors and antisocial behavior. In “Theoretical Background I” I present definitions of juvenile delinquency, discussing the concept of juvenile delinquency and its origins. As a next step, I emphasize the connection to parenting practices, providing several studies that undermine the influence of social factors. In order to present a broader framework, I also discuss individual factors that lead to juvenile delinquency. As it is crucial for the better understanding of the films, I further present the topic of youth gangs, again offering a definition and a historical basis. I describe the various types of gangs and the nature and features of these groups. To close this first chapter, I show how juvenile delinquency has become manifested in film and cinema, offering an overview of its cinematic history and development. The purpose of “Theoretical Background II” is to put forward theories on family structures, highlighting problems with defining the dysfunctional family and the blurry boundaries of this concept. Again it is crucial to provide a historical background, showing the massive changes the family has undergone since the Industrial Revolution. To further frame 2 the concept of the dysfunctional family I discuss three common malfunctions, namely physical abuse, neglect, and alcohol abuse, all of them apparent in the two films as well. In relation to this, I explore the child’s reaction to domestic troubles, dealing with oppositional conduct behavior and antisocial demeanor. Finally, I demonstrate in how far siblings cause dysfunctions within a family and how they affect the family’s relations. For this purpose I add theories on