Animals
When Johnny and Ponyboy flee to the country, they encounter a number of animals in the church. Coppola shoots the animals to show just how close to the wild world of the country the city boys really are. We see a deer sleeping beneath the church when the boys first arrive. An owl lives in the rafters of the church, and is trapped when it burns down. For leisure, the boys attempt to catch a rabbit. Rats and spiders also inhabit the church; a spider is weaving a giant web.
Water
Bob attempts to drown Ponyboy in the fountain, submerging him in the water almost fatally. Then when Johnny kills Bob, we see blood collecting in the water around Ponyboy. The purity of the fountain is tarnished by Johnny's crime. Later, we see a body of water near the church, a symbolic baptismal pool next to their hideaway. Coppola often shoots the boys' reflection in the water, showing them as repentant companions, hoping to wait out the storm of Johnny's violent deed. Then, during the rumble, the skies open up and it pours rain on the fighting between the Greasers and the Socs. Water is a cleansing element throughout, a purifying substance that takes on dramatic effect in the film.
Fire
Fire imagery also pervades the film. First of all, cigarettes are almost ubiquitous; the boys are almost constantly smoking throughout the film, and cigarettes are symbols of their toughness and street-smarts. Then, when Ponyboy and Johnny avoid going to their turbulent home environments, they make a small bonfire outside it, sit beside it, and dream of a better life. The most evocative image of fire is the image of the burning abandoned church. The church goes up in flames, beams fall, and eventually, the steeple itself collapses, which ends up causing Johnny's fatal burns. In the film, fire can warm and sustain, but it can also kill.
Hair
The Greasers' hair is a potent image in the film. We see various members of the gang comb and slick back their hair. It is the central image of their togetherness and their status as gang members. Then later, Johnny dyes Ponyboy's hair with peroxide, and the boys cut each other's hair when they are hiding out in the church. When they return to the neighborhood, Ponyboy's new 'do becomes fodder for the teasing of the other gang members, who make fun of his blond disguise. The Greasers' hair is what distinguishes them from the more privileged Socs, who wear their hair short.
