Typically, after finishing The Outsiders in school people just move on, forgetting about the author. However, that’s not the only book S.E. Hinton wrote. S. E. Hinton wrote a lot more, and some of them, like Rumble Fish, are definitely worth checking out.
Rumble Fish is a novella set in the late 1960s to early 70s, in a town in Oklahoma called Tulsa. The plot follows the story of the main character, a fourteen-year-old Rusty James. Rusty James was always relying on his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy (his title given him on the streets, the real name was never mentioned), wishing to be like him one day. Rusty James heavily idolizes his older brother, while Motorcycle Boy doesn’t quite share his enthusiasm, often disappearing from the city without a trace or a warning. When Rusty James’s world seems to fall apart completely, his older brother is not there to help. What will he do?
The book explores the theme of growing up and realizing how the world really is. It examines the themes about family issues, violence, and idolization. Rusty James is a dynamic character that doesn’t change for the most part of the book and suddenly shifts completely at the end. His world completely turns upside down, taking his general perspective on everything with it. The book has a really heavy and almost dooming atmosphere. The book is slow-paced and not a lot of events happen; the climax happens on the very last 30-40 pages, causing the mood to shift sharply. The book might feel, and probably will feel a bit stretched out in the beginning, but it gets better quickly. Rumble Fish has a lot of symbolism in it, with the rumble fish being one of the many. The fish play a crucial role in understanding the entire point and message of the book. Therefore, it usually takes a reread to fully understand the story and feel closer to certain characters. It’s written in first person from the point of view of Rusty James. The book has a nice flow and is definitely worth checking out!
