Symbolism In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

The Outsiders
The Outsiders is a plot-twisting fiction novel written by S.E Hinton. Ponyboy has problems at home: his older brother practically suffocates him. Ponyboy can’t take it anymore and leaves. He and one of his closest friends Johnny get wrapped up in an incident that leads them to the only choice they have: refuge in a church. After time the incident blows over and they’re allowed to come out of hiding, but certain circumstances won’t allow it. Children get caught in a fire that they may have started. With a heart heavy with guilt the boys go back to save the kids but they don’t leave unscathed. Through S.E Hinton’s words I interpret that the three symbols in this book are Bob’s rings, the Socs, and Curtis brothers’ home.

To begin

The rings that Bob wears symbolize his self-sabotaging ego, sorrow, and annoyance. Bob is vexed with the way that his parents deal with his actions, but he’ll never stop wounding people because of his ego even if he wants someone to. Socs are a symbol of being able to be care-free, youthful, and rash. Youth comes with the feeling of arrogant bliss, the biggest being even if you're the same as everyone else. When you’re not cautious with this thinking, you are the target that can be effortlessly brought down. The Curtis brothers’ house is a symbol of the gang's home base. The house is a place where a gang member can feel secure and acknowledged. No matter what happened that day or even in that moment the gang knows that that house and the people in it will reassure them, even if what they’re doing fails the house will always be your square one. Any member will be supported even when their guardians, the people who should help them no matter what

In the end, no one benefits from the injustices of the system in this story. Throughout the book Ponyboy, Randy, Johnny, and Cherry were the only people who saw the truth of the system. One side has everything but lacks what they really need and the other may have nothing to their names, but still somehow has everything, if both sides can find peace, the puzzle can be complete. With this new information you can see the change in their mindset towards rumbles: they’re absolutely pointless, the people who haven’t realized this are still wrapped up in endless, useless, and impractical fighting. There is no real difference between Ponyboy and Randy’s situation, the only thing that differentiated them was time. Bob was already dead and Johnny was still alive, both eventually lost a friend, if their timing aligned would they have done the same thing: decide to not partake in fighting with no end? Would their system allow them to? This is the message of The Outsiders: young people playing in the palm of a system they don’t know