Self-Defense In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

“I am never proud to participate in violence, yet, I know that each of us must care enough for ourselves, that we can be ready and able to come to our own defense when and wherever needed.” -Maya Angelou. In the fictional novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, the characters Ponyboy and Johnny experience murder in different life-or-death situations in the relationship between Socs and Greasers. The Socs and Greasers have a rivalry all across town, so when a Greaser kills a Soc, they are forced to have conflict. So, murder can be justified for self-defense, or when a person is defending another person with good morals.
To start, Murder can be justified if it occurs for self-defense. Ponyboy explains, “There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self-defense”(Hinton 137). It is possible that Ponyboy believes violence isn't always the correct answer since the Greasers are known to have a conflict with the Socs, which leads to violence. To continue, It is an instinct of every human to want to defend themselves, as it is a necessary part of life. It is likely that Ponyboy doesn't want to be conflicted with Socs because of the death of Bob, to keep away from the violence he may rely on self-defense. It is natural to fight back in a situation where there is

For example, Johnny explains, “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade…they were gonna beat me up…”(Hinton 56). Perhaps it is Johnny's instinct to save Ponyboy, as Ponyboy is the only one that he has in this situation. Johnny's relationship with Ponyboy is unique compared to the others, as Johnny is the only one closest to Ponyboy's age. Furthermore, It might be that this could have affected the actions of Johnny in this situation. To save another person, Ponyboy must have a special meaning to Johnny considering the experiences Johnny has had with Socs in the