Critical Analysis

Rebels are often products of their environments. One thing this can teach children is the benefit of doing what they know is right. However, for certain rebels, the pressures of their environments can cause their identity to implode creating a negative storm of choices. From this, children create an idea of traits they would like to see in their own personalities and lives or an idea of what they don't, allowing them to develop their own set of personal values and goals.

The intricacies of rebels' character development can be seen as more realistic to kids and adolescents. Humans are complex, flawed, strong-willed, and passionate. Questioning yourself, trying to figure out what the right thing to do and how it relates to the self is part of growing up, and rebels are often both good and bad at figuring this out. Rebels are diverse characters which can be helpful to children with diverse backgrounds. If they don't identify with a rebel character in one book, there is bound to be a character in another which they can see as a mirror.

Encouraging authors to include characters in their children and young adult literature who are diverse in regard to ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexuality, ability, age, and morality. It is incredibly important for children to see people in stories who look like them and go through similar experiences as them, so the more diversity in our libraries, the better. Overall though, the rebel character type can be applied to characters with varying backgrounds and experiences. It's one of the most representative character types we have.

The rebel might do things that they are proud of and that they are not proud of. This shows that everyone is flawed and teaches children that intentions and actions can intersect or run parallel to one another. Rebels can provide children with mirrors that allow them to decipher the real-world consequences or benefits of their actions. Rebels are often more complex in their development which allows children to be able to more closely relate to their stories and choices.

The idea of opposition is a major factor of being a rebel. Whether they are going against their government, rejecting societies' status quo, or challenging their friends, rebels are almost always rebelling against something. This doesn't mean rebels necessarily break the rules, but they do things in their own way despite what the people around them are doing. Rebels' motivations may vary from story to story, but they often do what they think is necessary. Sometimes, the rebel characters can cause chaos which can actually end up being more beneficial to society instead of what may otherwise be perceived as destructive. This can act as an example for children demonstrating how they have to be responsible for their own life as well as learn from and live with the consequences and outcomes of the mistakes they may make. This can also help children gain a stronger grasp on the ideas of empathy and identity. Rebels are their own person that makes their own decisions, these choices can often have an impact on others, both positively and negatively.