Introduction
Like the slow creep of crimson permeating pure white linen, violence stains the humanity of even the innocent. Its temptations lurk in shadowy corners of the soul, awaiting but a moment of weakness to unleash their terrible potential. So succumbs troubled youth to the bloody call of chaos in S.E. Hinton's seminal novel The Outsiders. Behind its facade of greasers and socs there sounds the undying heartbeat of humanity's higher angels and demons.
The Cycle of Violence and Dehumanization
Since the dawning days of civilization, humanity has struggled to subdue its baser urges towards violence. The ancient Code of Hammurabi called for an eye for an eye, a brutal ethic of retribution. Later thinkers such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. preached nonviolent resistance, exalting peace over bloodshed. Yet still violence haunts us, surging forth in seemingly senseless acts by troubled individuals. Such dark currents course through The Outsiders, as economic disparities between the rich "socs" and working-class "greasers" ignite cycles of violent retaliation in 1950s Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hinton suggests humanity's saving grace may lie in empathy and moral awakening.
A Moral Awakening Through Tragedy
The Outsiders depicts violence breeding violence when greaser Ponyboy Curtis and his friend Johnny Cade are attacked by socs Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson. Seeking vengeance, Johnny stabs Bob to death. Here Hinton shows how nurturing antipathy towards others dehumanizes us, enabling horrific acts. Ponyboy's gang leader Darrel "Darry" Curtis later scolds Ponyboy and Johnny for fighting, saying "You get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you...” But Ponyboy realizes “There was no glint of pride or humor in Darry's eyes. He meant it. I didn’t know what to say to him.” This confrontation with Darry's cynical advice plants seeds of doubt in Ponyboy's mind. He sees violence only begets more violence instead of solving problems.
Challenging the Cycle: Compassion Over Vengeance
Later in the novel, Ponyboy and Johnny’s friend Dallas “Dally” Winston exemplifies the emptiness of a violent life. A hardened teen from the mean streets of New York, Dally lives by a code of vengeance unconstrained by conscience. Yet when Johnny dies after rescuing children from a burning building, Dally is stricken with grief. In his despair, he robs a store and provokes police into killing him. Ponyboy realizes Dally “was tougher than the rest of us...toward the end, he was desperate and moody, and miserable. He had lost the only thing he'd ever loved. Dally didn't know what to do now.” Here we see how violence dehumanizes, leaving one unable to cope when compassion enters one’s barren life.
Some argue portraying the emptiness of violence glorifies and promotes it. But Hinton's novel aims to critique the cyclic traps violence ensnares people in. Ponyboy’s moral awakening models how understanding others' struggles with hardship can inspire compassion over hostility. We see this when Ponyboy is afflicted with survivor's guilt after Johnny's death. But a letter from Johnny implores Ponyboy to “see the good in the world” and discover “there's still lots of good in the world.” This inspires Ponyboy to make peace with both socs and greasers. In the letter’s light, he realizes “Everyone tries to find someone to look down on so they can feel better about themselves.” This systemic issue undergirds the novel's violence, demanding not condemnation but compassion.
Conclusion
In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton cautions how othering our fellow humans can unleash violence's terrible gravity. Through moral awakenings, her characters model nobler paths of empathy and forgiveness in lieu of vengeance. As humanity continues wrestling with its inner angels and demons, may we heed the wisdom in Hinton's classic novel and embrace light over darkness. Though shadows haunt the soul, we each carry a spark of light within us that can prevail, if nursed gently through trying times. Like flickers of hope piercing cold nights, may we fan those flickers into flames bright enough to guide us together out of violence’s seductions.
