Illustration by Emily Thomas. Originally published in print November 2020.

Author S. E. Hinton is best known for her debut novel The Outsiders (1967), which is considered to be the first true example of young adult literature, as it was the first novel to both be about being a teenager and to be marketed specifically towards them. Hinton wrote multiple young adult novels through the 1960s and 1970s, with all of them focusing on an open and honest portrayal of the issues facing working-class teenage boys. This subsection of adolescents have often been stereotyped as tough guys and troublemakers, both in fiction and in real life. Hinton’s honest exploration of their thoughts, feelings, and vulnerabilities breaks away from that, and offers a realistic view on the struggles of adolescence.

The 1980s saw the production of four film adaptations of Hinton’s novels, coinciding with a rise in the popularity of teen films. These four films—Tex (Tim Hunter, 1982), The Outsiders (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983), Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983), and That Was Then… This Is Now (Christopher Cain, 1985)—stand out from other ‘80s teen films because of how they explore the conflicts of masculinity and vulnerability for working-class adolescent boys, which is rarely seen in film, particularly in such detailed focus. Bringing these stories to the big screen introduced a new way of representing troubled youth in cinema, just as Hinton’s novels did for literature in the ‘60s.

The exploration of masculinity and vulnerability found in these films is easiest to recognise in The Outsiders. The film focuses on a gang of teenage greasers, which immediately identifies the characters as lower-class boys who are considered delinquents by society. As the youngest member of the gang, Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) holds onto an innocence that the other greasers don’t have. He enjoys poetry and appreciates the beauty of sunsets, although he would never talk about that with anyone in his gang apart from Johnny (Ralph Macchio), who also comes to find beauty in them. When upper-class Cherry (Diane Lane) asks why a nice guy like him would hang out with a troublemaker like Dally (Matt Dillon), Pony sticks up for his friend and reminds her that, even though he doesn’t get up to trouble, he’s a greaser too.

In contrast to Ponyboy, Dally is always seen as a tough thug, even by the other greasers. He accepts this, and even plays into it. He harasses Cherry at a drive-in and takes pleasure in her annoyance. When Cherry asks that Dally “be nice and leave us alone” he responds with “I’m never nice”. While Cherry certainly believes this, and Dally probably believes it about himself, many of his actions show otherwise. Dally cares deeply about his gang, and is shown to be particularly protective of the younger members, Pony and Johnny. After Johnny kills someone to save Pony from drowning, Dally does everything in his power to keep them safe and out of jail, telling Johnny “You get mean in jail. I don’t want to see that happen to you like it happened to me”. This suggests that Dally knows that his actions have cost him his youthful innocence—something he still sees in Johnny and Pony.

Johnny’s death represents a final loss of innocence for Dally, making him believe he has nothing else to live for. His inability to express his emotions causes him to instead act recklessly, ultimately leading to his death when he points an empty gun at the police and is shot dead. In a letter that Johnny wrote to Pony before this tragedy, he says “The way you dig sunsets Pony, that’s gold. Keep it that way, it’s a good way to be. I want you to ask Dally to look at one. I don’t think he’s ever seen a sunset.” This line represents the contrast between Pony and Dally. Pony manages to keep his identity as a greaser while still appreciating the goodness of the world. Dally isn’t just a thug, but society’s insistence that he is forced him to toughen up, and, in doing so, abandon the ability to be emotionally vulnerable. Johnny’s letter suggests that if Dally could have stopped being so angry at the world and appreciated its beauty, he wouldn’t have died. Something as simple as admiring a sunset could have saved him.

This is true for many characters in the other films as well. Johnny’s idea that tough guys can like sunsets too represents the struggle of balancing masculinity and vulnerability, particularly when being vulnerable is considered a weakness. Holding onto childhood innocence is hard when society forces you into a ‘tough guy’ stereotype, but is also often necessary for survival. In Rumble Fish, Rusty James (Matt Dillon) worships his older brother, known as The Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), because of his reputation as a tough gang leader. The Motorcycle Boy, however, longs to separate himself from the ‘tough guy’ stereotype placed on him by both other gang members who admire him and by people in authority who assume the worst about him. This leads to an obsession with Siamese fighting fish that he sees in a pet store. He believes that if the fish could reach the ocean and be free of the constraints of the fish tank, they wouldn’t feel the need to fight.

While Rusty James wishes to be tough like The Motorcycle Boy, he has an innate innocence to him. He drinks chocolate milk, he’s in awe of the city’s colours, and he even says to his brother, “I wonder when I’m going to stop being a little kid”. Because of this childlike innocence and naivety, Rusty James doesn’t understand the danger of becoming tough like his brother. In a final attempt to break free, The Motorcycle Boy breaks into the pet store and sets the animals free. He carries the fish towards the river, but is shot and killed by a cop for robbing the pet store. Rusty James completes his brother’s final wish and brings the fish to the river. While The Motorcycle Boy couldn’t free himself, Rusty James learns from him, with the final shot of the film showing Rusty James looking out at the Pacific Ocean.

In Tex, Mace (Jim Metzler) has taken over the role of caring for his younger brother Tex (Matt Dillon—yes, he plays three different characters in three of these films) because of their absent father, which has caused him to grow up too fast and, like many characters in these films, lose his childhood innocence. He works hard to allow Tex to keep his innocence, but has to sell Tex’s horse—the one thing he cares about more than anything—to pay bills. Tex acts out because of this, but in the end matures enough to allow Mace to move away to attend college. Tex is the least ‘tough’ of all the characters in these films, but he is one of the strongest, overcoming many adversities while managing to retain his innocence by forgiving his brother and getting a job at a ranch to spend time with horses while also supporting himself.

As evident from the relationships in Rumble Fish and Tex, brotherhood is important for many of the characters in these films. Although Mark (Emilio Estevez) and Bryon (Craig Sheffer) in That Was Then… This Is Now are not related, they’ve thought of each other as brothers since Mark’s parents died and Bryon’s family took him in. This brotherhood begins to falter when Mark refuses to take responsibility for his actions. When Bryon finds out that Mark has been selling drugs, he kicks him out and tells him that they are no longer brothers, taking away the only support Mark has ever had.

Mark acts as an antagonist for Bryon throughout the film, getting him into trouble and holding him back from maturing and achieving his goals. But Mark also shows a deep affection for Bryon, even after Bryon has given up on him. When Bryon threatens to kick him out, Mark says with sincerity: “I love you Bryon, I’ve got nowhere else to go”. He keeps his ‘cool guy’ guard up until he realises the consequences of his actions and breaks down in front of Bryon, finally showing his vulnerability. While Mark believed he could get away with anything, without the support of his best friend, he goes off the deep end. When he can’t grow into his place in society like Bryon, Mark is removed from society entirely and sent to prison.

The characters in each film have a connection to either the natural world through sunsets, fish, or horses, or a connection to each other through their affection for one another. These outward expressions of their vulnerabilities allow for an examination of their inner thoughts and feelings. All four of these films explore the emotions of those whose feelings are often disregarded, and while the narratives are specific to working-class teenage boys, the topics of fighting against societal expectations, inability to express inner emotions, and the fear of losing your innocence can be relatable to all teenagers, and to people in general.