“If someone puts their hands on you, make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again.”― Malcom X. Malcom X felt that sometimes violence was necessary to end violence. This is a theme that shows up again and again in The Outsiders. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton demonstrates how the cycle of violence affects people, their relationships with others, loyalty and the need for belonging.

S.E Hinton explains how much Johnny’s relationship with his mother has been affected because of childhood trauma.“‘I said I don’t want to see her.’His voice was rising.”().This quote demonstrates how Johnny and his mother have a bad relationship and the hurt she caused him in his childhood still affects him. 

A deeper examination of this quote demonstrates that Johnny has trauma from his childhood and that just hearing about his mother makes him feel anger, and fear.

Hinton describes how much Johnny cares about Ponyboy and what he would do for him.“‘I didn’t mean to,’ he finally blurted out. ‘They were drowning you and I was scared,’”().

This relates to the theme because it shows how killing Bob was the only way to stop the socs from drowning Ponyboy to death. Johnny had an impossible decision to make. He was not a murderer but he had to save Ponyboy.Hinton identifies that Johnny was scared of getting hurt and when he defended himself he took it too far.“‘They were gonna beat me up, like…’ ‘Like how they did before?’ Johnny was quiet for a minute. ‘Yeah.’” (57).This evidence supports the cycle of violence because it shows how Johnny sees people after getting abused/jumped. He knows he’s an easy target to the socs because he’s weak.Hinton identifies that Johnny has been through a lot and is weak and scared but also he is a fierce protector of Ponyboy and doesn’t want him to be hurt the way he has been.‘Johnny… he’s been hurt bad sometime hasn’t he? ‘Hurt and scared.’”().“Johnny was scared of his own shadow after that.”().

These pieces of evidence relate to the theme because they show how Johnny has been negatively affected physically and mentally over time and it affects his decisions and actions. 

Throughout the book, S.E. Hinton gives a sense that violence affects people in many ways and living through abuse or violence can alter your personality, your mood and your mental state. It can affect your ability to make good decisions and often puts people in a heightened state of fear. Given that the Greasers were taught that stealing and fighting were a normal part of life, it shaped them into ‘bad’ people. Even though Johnny and Ponyboy are more innocent at heart, their loyalty to the gang is strong because they don’t have anyone else they can trust. The bad thing about their association with the Greasers is that it leaves them open to judgment from the outside world and society as well as consequences for making dangerous decisions.

The Outsiders is not just a story about a gang of misfits. When one examines the deeper themes of violence, loyalty, and relationships, the book reveals that human beings who have experienced abuse or violence are shaped by their experiences and this can lead to them making violent choices themselves sometimes as a way to protect themselves or those they are loyal to.