Themes
Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor
The Outsiders tells the story of two groups of teenagers whose bitter
rivalry stems from socioeconomic differences. However, Hinton suggests,
these differences in social class do not necessarily make natural
enemies of the two groups. The greasers and Socs share some things in
common. Cherry Valance, a Soc, and Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser, discuss
their shared love of literature, popular music, and sunsets,
transcending—if only temporarily—the divisions that feed the feud
between their respective groups. Their harmonious conversation suggests
that shared passions can fill in the gap between rich and poor. This
potential for agreement marks a bright spot in the novel’s gloomy
prognosis that the battle between the classes is a long-lasting one.
Over the course of the novel, Ponyboy begins to see the pattern of
shared experience. He realizes that the hardships that greasers and
Socs face may take different practical forms, but that the members of
both groups—and youths everywhere—must inevitably come to terms with
fear, love, and sorrow.
Honor Among the Lawless
The idea of honorable action appears throughout the novel, and it works
as an important component of the greaser behavioral code. Greasers see
it as their duty, Ponyboy says, to stand up for each other in the face
of enemies and authorities. In particular, we see acts of honorable
duty from Dally Winston, a character who is primarily defined by his
delinquency and lack of refinement. Ponyboy informs us that once, in a
show of group solidarity, Dally let himself be arrested for a crime
that Two-Bit had committed. Furthermore, when discussing Gone with the
Wind, Johnny says that he views Dally as a Southern gentleman, as a man
with a fixed personal code of behavior. Statements like Johnny’s,
coupled with acts of honorable sacrifice throughout the narrative,
demonstrate that courtesy and propriety can exist even among the most
lawless of social groups.
The Treacherousness of Male-Female Interactions
As hostile and dangerous as the greaser-Soc rivalry becomes, the boys
from each group have the comfort of knowing how their male friends will
react to their male enemies. When Randy and Bob approach Ponyboy and
Johnny, everyone involved knows to expect a fight of some sort. It is
only when the female members of the Soc contingent start to act
friendly toward the greasers that animosities blur and true trouble
starts brewing. Even on the greaser side, Sodapop discovers female
unreliability when he finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant with
another man’s child. With these plot elements, Hinton conveys the idea
that cross-gender interaction creates unpredictable results. This
message underscores the importance of male bonding in the novel to the
creation of unity and structure.
Motifs
Literature
Literary references occur throughout The Outsiders, helping us
understand how the characters in the novel view themselves and those
around them. Ponyboy first alludes to a work of literature in Chapter
1, when he compares himself to Pip from Charles Dickens’s Great
Expectations. Ponyboy identifies with Pip because he, like Pip, is
orphaned, impoverished, and struggling to make sense of the world.
Additionally Ponyboy and Johnny put special emphasis on Robert Frost’s
poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” which helps them understand that growing
up and facing reality is a necessary part of life. Finally, Johnny
likens Dally to a Southern gentleman in Gone with the Wind. Having this
idealized vision of Dally makes Johnny able to understand him.
Literature not only creates a bond between Ponyboy and the other
characters, as when he discusses books with Cherry and reads to Johnny,
but it also creates a cyclic premise for the narrative itself. We find
out at the novel’s end that the narrative of The Outsiders is in fact
an autobiographical work that Ponyboy is writing in order to pass his
English class. This revelation confirms the importance of literature in
the story as a means of connecting with others.
Eye Shape and Color
Though Hinton gives thorough physical descriptions of all her
characters, she places particular importance on their eyes. Characters’
eyes represent key facets of their personalities. For example, Darry
and Dally—the two boys with whom Ponyboy feels the least
comfortable—have icy blue eyes. Dally’s eyes, in particular, are
narrow. The narrator considers these two characters to be hard, even
heartless, and the narrowness and cool hues of their eyes reflect their
invulnerability. Hinton repeatedly defines Johnny Cade, on the other
hand, by his wide, brown eyes. In correspondence with his eye shape and
color, Johnny is generally nervous, gentle, and vulnerable to attack.
Ponyboy’s Losses of Consciousness
During the second half of the novel, beginning with the scene at the
burning church, Ponyboy loses consciousness multiple times. It might
seem strange at first to have a narrator slip in and out of mental
clarity and thus miss out on entire spans of plot development. However,
it makes sense that Hinton would distance her narrator temporarily in
this manner, as this gives us, as well as Ponyboy, a needed rest from
the intense action. This device also allows for events to be recounted
after they happen, so that Ponyboy can sift through unnecessary details.
Symbols
Two-Bit’s Switchblade
Two-Bit’s switchblade is his most prized possession and, in several
ways, represents the disregard for authority for which greasers
traditionally pride themselves. First of all, the blade is stolen.
Second, it represents a sense of the individual power that comes with
the potential to commit violence. This symbolism surfaces most clearly
when Dally borrows the blade from Two-Bit and uses it to break out of
the hospital to join his gang at the rumble. It is fitting that Two-Bit
finally loses the blade when the police confiscate it from Dally’s dead
body. The loss of the weapon, at this point, becomes inextricably
linked with the loss of Dally—a figure who embodies individual power
and authority.
Cars
Cars represent the Socs power and the greasers’ vulnerability. Because
their parents can afford to buy them their “tuff” cars, the Socs have
increased mobility and protection. The greasers, who move mostly on
foot, are physically vulnerable in comparison to the Socs. Still,
greasers like Darry, Sodapop, and Steve do have contact with
automobiles—they repair them. We can interpret this interaction with
cars positively or negatively. On one hand, it symbolizes how the
greasers have a more direct and well-rounded experience than the Socs
with the gritty realities of life. On the other hand, the fact that the
greasers must service and care for Soc possessions demonstrates that
the Socs have the power to oppress the greasers.
Bob’s Rings
Bob Sheldon’s rings function similarly to the Socs’ cars. Throughout
literature, rings and jewelry have been traditional symbols of wealth.
The rings in this story represent the physical power that accompanies
wealth. By using his rings as combative weapons, Bob takes advantage of
his economic superiority over Ponyboy and the other greasers, using his
wealth to injure his opponents.
Greaser Hair
The greasers cannot afford rings, cars, or other physical trappings of
power that the Socs enjoy. Consequently, they must resort to more
affordable markers of identity. By wearing their hair in a specific
style, greasers distinguish themselves from other social groups.
Conservative cultural values of the 1960s called for men to keep their
hair short, and the greaser style is a clear transgression of this
social convention. It is not only distinctive, but, as a physical
characteristic, this hair is truly an organic part of the greaser
persona. When the Socs jump Ponyboy at the beginning of the novel, they
ask him if he wants a haircut and threaten to cut off his hair. By
doing so, they would rob him of his identity.
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