Penguin Book Cover

The outsiders

(Thoughts behind the cover)

In my opinion, the main subjects that can visualise the book's symbolism are the cigarette, the leather, the knife, and the sunset. These kids want equality; they believe that they will be satisfied if they can win against the rich kids, but the truth is that they win nothing.
They are street boys growing up on their own, facing the ugliness of life by themselves.

Why the cigarette?

Throughout the book, various characters from the street gang are met with offhand comments about their smoking—warnings that they'll die because of it, or that they should quit. These remarks seem casual, but I interpret them as metaphors for something deeper. While the characters fixate on the dangers of smoking, they fail to see the bigger issue: their fights with the wealthy kids are ultimately meaningless, with no real outcome or change. The cigarette becomes a symbol of something much more tragic—the slow, inevitable self-destruction caused not just by addiction, but by a lack of hope, purpose, and direction. In my view, the cigarette represents the loss of meaning in their lives—a quiet, constant reminder of their despair.