In Razorblade Tears, violence is a fact of life, the characters often seeing violence as a means to an end. Derek and Isiah are murdered so they won’t reveal Gerald’s secret relationship with Tangerine. For Gerald, the violence of the murders is utilitarian. For the Rare Breed, violence is the solution to most of their problems. It is built into their club creed: They make their enemies “bleed for the Breed” (64).

Ike has spent the past 15 years trying to move away from violence. He no longer wants to be “Riot Randolph,” the man who committed murder. However, Buddy’s defacement of the graves puts him back on the criminal path. Ike thinks: “That was the thing about violence. When you went looking for it you definitely were going to find it. It just wouldn’t be at a time of your choosing” (98). Cosby shows how violence escalates into more violence. Once Ike decides to join Buddy Lee’s mission, things snowball.

Most of the major characters see violence as a solution. They move amongst people who equate violence with justice, and respond in kind, even when it’s unnecessary, such as when Ike breaks Bryce’s finger at the meeting of the Blue Anarchists.