What are the symbols in The
Outsiders and what do they really
represent?
Symbol #1: Ponyboy's Cigarettes
“ ‘Uhmmmm,’ I said, trying to blow a smoke ring
[with the cigarette].
‘Too bad it couldn’t stay like that all the time.’
‘Nothing gold can stay.’ I was remembering a poem
I’d read once” (Hinton 77).
 Ponyboy and his cigarettes are always presented
when a dramatic or heartfelt concept/part of the
plot is in action. The cigarettes symbolize
Ponyboy’s wisdom and how much he is learning
throughout the novel. If you pay attention in the
novel, the declaration of Ponyboy smoking is
mentioned a lot more until the end of the story.

Tati Montes: Symbols
Symbol #2: Sunsets

“It seemed funny that the sunset [Cherry]
saw from her patio and the one I saw from
the back steps was the same one. Maybe
the two worlds we lived in weren’t so
different. We saw the same sunset” (4041).

Ponyboy states right in the quote that the
worlds they lived in aren’t so different at all. He
shows that even though Greasers and Socs
are known to have major differences, like
social status, clothing, and opinions, the
sunset that appears every evening proves that
there is some sort of a unification intertwined
in the mess of Greasers versus Socs. The
sunsets also provide a key idea of the novel:
There are many branches of a tree, but they
all are from the same seed.
Tati Montes: Symbols
Symbol #3: Switchblades
“Johnny never walked by himself after that.
And Johnny...now carried in his back
pocket a six-inch switchblade. He’d use it,
too, if he ever got jumped again”(34).
 The switchblade Johnny carries represents
the past conflict between the Socs and
Greasers. Switchblades provide protection
from enemies, which were made in the
past and how insecure Johnny feels
because of the scarring (emotional and
physical) that Socs have implemented on
Johnny. The switchblade also represents
the I.B. Trait of Reflective because the past
is what influences the present and the
future, and you have to reminisce the past
to make a better future.

Tati Montes: Symbols
In the end, there are three main
symbols in The Outsiders.
Cigarettes
 Sunsets
 Switchblades
All three symbols enhance the plot and
learning experience that derives from
the novel.
