Everything in nature is connected, as a cycle. A newly delivered mist from the sky waters the seeds that hide underneath dirt, and we are left with beautiful, lush grass which is then trampled on by graceful animals prancing through the woods. Everything in nature is connected, as a cycle.
Just like everything in nature is connected through a cycle, a pattern, so are humans. We are all connected with visions, with actions, with our eyes. We look to someone else’s eye color to determine what we think of them, and then that person mocks that behavior in return. We are all connected through the colors of eyes.
Ponyboy Curtis from S.E. Hilton’s The Outsiders is just one of many who admit to looking at the color of his gang member’s eyes to portray to us-- as the readers--his perceptions of them. From Dally’s piercing blue eyes to Johnny’s big black eyes, symbolism and truth behind each character’s eyes is reflected perfectly in their personalities.
You know that kind of person in your life that you can totally trust, and you can run to for anything? Soda is that kind of person in Ponyboy’s life. Strong, grounding, enduring… it only makes sense that his eyes are brown. Deep brown, as the dirt on the ground may lay. Forever there and ready to catch you when you fall. Deep brown, as the trunk of the tree. Sturdy and protects you from harm. Deep brown, as in a warm winter sweater. Cozy, and keeps you from the cold of the world. We can see these qualities especially once Ponyboy is hurt and has to be taken to the hospital, and Soda takes over the motherly role, and takes care of Ponyboy. Soda says, “We stayed with you so much that the doctor told us we were going to end up in the hospital ourselves if we didn't get some sleep. But we didn't get any anyway...” (139). Deep brown—Soda.
Johnny is also one of the people Ponyboy can trust most in The Outsiders—in fact, I would call him Ponyboy’s best friend. That saying “a friend will bail you out of jail, but a best friend will be right there with you saying, ‘Wow—we screwed that one up!” applies to Johnny perfectly. Johnny is the guy who ran away from murder, taking Ponyboy with him, and setting a church on fire (accidentally of course). And, although Johnny may seem like the adventurous type, he actually is nervous, full of secrets, defeated. He is vulnerable, scrawny, the weakest link in the chain. His past holds him back. Just like the night—dark, unknowing. We can’t see anything clearly. What color would best represent defeat and darkness? Black. Pitch black. Black—Johnny.
Although we have comforting people in our lives, there are also those people that make us… shiver. They are cold, mean, hard. Icy. A piercing blue would suit this person well. It only makes sense that Dally’s eyes are blazing blue. But, like the snowfalls of and ice of winter, though dangerous and cold, can also be beautiful. We can see the soft side of Dally when Ponyboy and Johnny ask him for help to run away. Dally says “’Git goin’!’ He messed up Johnny’s hair. ‘Take care, kid,’ he said softly” (56). Icy blue—Dally.
The brotherly role in Ponyboy’s household is played by, none other than Ponyboy’s actual sibling, Darry. Darry is the classic older brother: controlling, annoying, but also, the occasional supporting and loving. Dally’s blue eyes merged with the energy and invulnerableness of the color green make Darry’s eyes unique. Grass would represent this kind of green perfectly; it is soft, and springing up from the ground with all of its energy. Darry’s actions speak louder than his words, and we can see his love through his actions to Ponyboy. “ Soda was shaking me gently. ‘Hey. Ponyboy, wake up. You still got to get to the house.’ ‘Hmmmmm,’ I said sleepily, and lay down in the seat. I couldn’t have gotten up to save my life. I could hear Soda and Darry, but as if from a great distance. ‘Oh, come on, Ponyboy,’ Soda pleaded, shaking me a little harder, ‘we’re sleepy too.’ I guess Darry was tired of fooling around, because he picked me up, and carried me in...” (92). I personally think that by carrying someone when they are weak is the ultimate symbol of love—you are picking someone up when they are hurt, when they fall. You are there to support them. Blue green—Darry.
Two-Bit’s eyes are gray. You could say that his eyes are like a storm—daring and dangerous, but I think that his stormy eyes portray the fact that he is unpredictable. Watching the weather, it is hard to predict the exact time a storm will hit—sometimes we are taken totally by surprise, sometimes we are a few days off, sometimes just a few hours. Two-Bit is stormy in that sense. One minute, he is making funny remarks, the next he is being escorted by police because of, yet another, shoplifting spree. Two-Bit’s behavior is impulsive just like a storm. Gray—Two Bit.
Just like how all of these characters are emotionally connected between the bond of a gang, and connected through Ponyboy, these characters are also connected by the symbolism of nature in their eye colors. We have deep brown, like dirt, pitch black, like the night, icy blue, like winter, energizing green, like grass, and soft gray, like a storm. When all of these physical qualities are added together as a cycle, and work together as a team, we have one beautiful earth—one beautiful friendship.
