Rumble Fish

Rumble fish—the nickname for the Siamese fighting fish that give the novel its name—are a key motif in the novel. Hinton intends the fish to be a metaphor for the brothers’ characters.

We first encounter the motif when Rusty-James finds the Motorcycle Boy in a pet store, contemplating fish that are each in a bowl of their own. Already, the image of fish in separate bowls echoes the description of the Motorcycle Boy’s experience “living in a glass bubble and watching the world from it” (64). Like the fish, the Motorcycle Boy feels that he is a detached observer of life rather than an emotionally engaged participant. The idea that the fish have to be kept in separate bowls to prevent them from “try[ing] to kill each other” also evokes the Motorcycle Boy’s capacity for violence when he comes into contact with other people (78).

Like the brothers, the fish are “not regular goldfish” (77), but have an attractive, unusual appearance, being bright red and yellow, and flaunting long fins and tails. The long fins, which are markers of bravado but leave the fish prone to being nipped and injured, are a metaphor for the brothers’ pride and vulnerability.