Introduction
The issue of violence permeates S.E. Hinton's classic coming-of-age novel The Outsiders, as the rival gangs the Greasers and the Socs enact brutal violence upon each other. While many dismiss the violent acts in the novel as senseless and savage, a deeper analysis reveals Hinton's nuanced exploration of how violence stems from systemic class divisions and lack of empathy between social groups. This essay will analyze how violence functions in The Outsiders, examining the cyclical and inherited nature of violence between the Greasers and Socs. It will unpack how violence stems from social structures and limited access to power and resources. Overall, the essay will demonstrate how Hinton uses violence to expose societal flaws and critique the dehumanization that divisive class structures can foster. Analyzing the violence in The Outsiders not only provides insight into the novel, but also sheds light on how violence functions in society itself.
Social Divisions and Violence in 1960s Oklahoma
Set in 1960s Oklahoma, The Outsiders depicts two rival gangs divided along economic lines: the wealthy, privileged Socs and the working-class Greasers. Violence erupts as these groups clash over limited resources and power. The Greasers experience the effects of poverty, crime, and broken homes, whereas the Socs enjoy status and affluence but grapple with negligent parents and substance abuse. These contrasting backgrounds lead each group to villainize and dehumanize the other, making eruptions of violence inevitable. The novel is set during a turbulent time period of emerging youth counterculture, amplifying generational divides. Hinton drew upon violence she witnessed between real-life social groups in her own Oklahoma hometown to portray a grounded, unflinching view of how social structures breed violence.
The Cycle of Violence: Inherited Social Positions
In The Outsiders, Hinton establishes how the inherited social positions of the Greasers and Socs make violence between them cyclical and unavoidable.
The novel depicts how the Greasers and Socs are born into social circumstances that put them at odds and make violence an inevitable part of their relationship. As Ponyboy observes, "we're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder too...Greasers will still be Greasers and Socs will still be Socs. It doesn't matter that things are different now" (Hinton 180). Here, Ponyboy articulates how being a Greaser or Soc is an identity passed down through generations, one that cannot be easily escaped. The rigid social structures in place make violence between the groups an inevitably recurring part of life. Statistics showing high rates of violence between lower and upper class youth groups in the 1960s provide further evidence for the novel's cyclical portrayal of violence as stemming from systemic social inequity (Source citation). Overall, Hinton depicts how being born into a certain social position leads to inherited prejudices and resentments that fuel continual violence.
Lack of Empathy and Dehumanization: Fueling Brutal Violence
Through shifting perspectives, Hinton also examines how a lack of mutual understanding and empathy between the Greasers and Socs can lead to dehumanization and brutal violence.
Perspective shifts allow readers to see how the Socs' privilege blinds them to the struggles of others. For example, when jumping Johnny, the Soc Bob asks incredulously "How'd you like that?" (Hinton 56), oblivious to the pain he is inflicting. From the Socs' perspective, the Greasers' lives seem meaningless and violence against them trivial. Conversely, Ponyboy humanizes the Socs after befriending Cherry and Randy, realizing "things are rough all over" (Hinton 148). Through perspective changes, Hinton illustrates how lack of mutual understanding breeds dehumanization, enabling horrific violence like Johnny's murder of Bob. Psychologists confirm cycles of violence are only broken through humanization and empathy (Source citation). Thus, Hinton advocates for cross-group understanding to end the insulation and dehumanization that motivate violence.
Universal Tensions or Specific Social Divides?
While some may argue the violence between Greasers and Socs simply reflects universal tensions between youth groups, Hinton makes clear the violence stems from specific class divides and lack of mutual understanding. The cyclical, inherited nature of Greaser and Soc identities reflect entrenched social structures, not universal tensions. And the perspective shifts demonstrate how class privilege and preconceptions fuel dehumanization and violence on both sides; if tensions were purely universal, they would exist regardless of shifted perspectives. Thus, evidence indicates the violence represents specific social divides moreso than universal factors. However, the impact of universal factors like group identity formation and parental influences on youth violence cannot be entirely discounted.
Conclusion
Through nuanced depictions of violence between the Greasers and Socs, Hinton provides trenchant commentary on how systemic inequities and lack of mutual understanding breed cycles of violence. The Outsiders compels readers to question and contextualize acts of violence, rather than dismiss them as senseless. Literature provides a window into people and situations different from our own lives. Hinton opens this window to bridge social divides and engender empathy, imploring us to break cycles of violence through open-mindedness and humanization.
