Violence

Violence is a major and dominant theme in Hinton’s novel, “That Was Then, This is Now”. Violence is so common in Bryon’s life because it serves a variety of purposes, and is very useful to him. It serves as diversion for bored or drunken teenagers and as a means of delivering justice. Many of the teens in this novel let their fists do the talking for them, so there is rarely a conflict solved without physical fighting or some form of physical contact. Violence is also a means of preserving honor, of gaining, earning, and keeping respect from others. In a social situation where money is short and tempers are high, violence is the most effective means to attain some sort of status or reputation.

Unfortunately, as Bryon realizes, violence only creates more violence. If a person uses violence to tell another person to leave him...