Is violence, the answer to people’s problems? NO WAY. Well first what does violence actually mean. Violence means ‘rough force that is used to injure or harm’ (Macquarie Pocket Dictionary Third Edition pg.1153). In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton published in 1972 violence is used quite regularly to answer difficulties. In this novel there are two Gangs called The Socs and The Greaser. The Socs are the rich kids on the north side of town and The Greaser are the middle class kids on the south side of town. Violence is never the answer. It may lead to damage to your mental and physical health. It also hurts your friends and families.
Violence hurts people physically. Punching and kicking is not the way to solve problems. It can lead to serious injuries and sometimes death. Just like after the rumble Pony Boy is injured with cuts and bruises all over his body. Dally ends up taking him to hospital. People should not use violence to resolve difficulties even if they are angry or stressed.
Violence hurts people mentally. When you hit people or swear at them it hurts them. It builds up inside until you cannot take anymore. Such as, when Darry hits Pony Boy, it hurts him and makes him want to run away. Violence does not solve problems. It hurts more than you think.
When violence is used to solve problems, trust and friendship is lost within families. For example when Johnny kills a Soc. Johnny and Pony Boy run away, that makes their friends and family very stressed. Stress leads to aggression to eliminate anger from ones self. Families need to stick together otherwise violence will be used.
Some may think that violence because it is a form of self defence. ‘Self defence is something that involves protecting oneself, one's property or the well being of another from physical harm’ (WikiPedia). Just like in the Rumble the Greasers are defending themselves and their territory. Also like when the Socs try to drown