In the book, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hilton, three greaser brothers are forced to live alone as their parents pass away, and are faced with many challenges throughout the book. Ponyboy, the youngest, and his brother, Sodapop, are forced to be raised by their older brother, Darry. There is some controversy as Ponyboy finds himself breaking the law and there is debate on whether he should be taken in by the system and leave the gang, or stay with Darry, who can provide for him and love him. Darry can’t watch him all the time, but he can keep a roof over his head and food on his plate. Ponyboy should also stay because he is happy and has the gang to protect and love him. Darry also has two jobs to provide for soda and ponyboy and he makes enough …show more content…
This happens because Darry accidentally hit Ponyboy and he ran away with Johnny, then they are jumped and Johnny is forced to kill to save Pony from drowning. “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony they might have killed you” (Ch. 4, Pg. 57). This shows that Johnny did it to save Pony, and it also shows that Pony has many people that would do anything to keep him safe. Furthermore, this illustrates that Darry regretted hitting Pony, and would be more protective of him. The environment that Pony is in is harsh, but if he stays strong he will stay out of harm's way. “You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you…”(Ch. 9, Pg. 147). This shows that Dally, another member of their gang, is also looking out for him. Moreover this shows that it is possible for him to remain with Darry and stay safe. The only way that Pony could get into trouble, or get hurt is if he puts himself in a bad …show more content…
He thought this because Darry always either yelled at him or ignored him. “It was my house as much as Darry’s, and if he wanted to pretend I wasn’t alive, that was just fine with me” (Ch. 3 Pg. 52). This shows that Ponyboy thought Darry only loved Sodapop. Furthermore, this also illustrated that Pony misunderstood Darry’s thinking, when in reality he only yelled at him because he cared about him. Pony also thinks that Darry doesn’t care for him and thinks that he is annoying. “He’s as hard as a rock and about as human… he thinks i’m a pain in the neck. He likes Soda-everybody likes Soda- but he can’t stand me”(Ch. 3, Pg. 42). This shows that Pony thinks he is unloved, but he is loved more than he could ever imagine. Moreover, this shows that Sodapop might be Darry’s favorite, but Darry gets more concerned about Pony, and worries about him more and feels that he must reprimand Pony to keep him safe. Ponyboy always misunderstood Darry’s way of keeping him safe and out of
People look up to others because they are so alike each other that they feel connected, or they are so different, they aspire to be like them. Sometimes you can have someone who looks up to the other that is both, different and the same as them. This is the case for Johnny and Dally in The Outsiders, written by S. E. Hinton. They both have parents who do not care about them and they both do not value life. Johnny is more law-abiding than Dally and Johnny became a hero, unlike Dally. Johnny and Dally share differences and similarities that make them such unique characters.
Ponyboy would be better off with Darry because he is a good guardian and cares about what could happen to Ponyboy. “suddenly I realized, horrified, that Darry was crying. He didn’t make a noise but tears were running down his cheeks.I hadn’t seen him cry in years, not even when mom and dad had been killed (p.87). Darry did not cry when their parents died, but when he saw that Ponyboy was all right he cried, this shows that Darry cares a lot about Ponyboy. This also demonstrates that when Darry cried it
This started to happen when he was in the church trying to hide away from the police because of the murder of one of the Soc’s. “I was trembling, and it wasn’t all from cold” (Hilton p.57). This shows that Ponyboy was scared, starting to break, and noticed that maybe this “hard bad boy” life isn't for him. Ponyboy put more and more thought about what it takes to be a greaser, which made him realize that maybe the gang life wasn’t good for him. “We were good fighters and could play cool, but we were sensitive and that isn’t a good way to be when you’re a greaser” (Hinton, p.88). Ponyboy is expressing that it is hard to be as strong as the other boys and sometimes he just couldn't or he couldn't be ok with what they were doing. “It drives my brother Darry nuts when I do stuff like that, ‘cause I’m supposed to be smart’ I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything, but I don't use my head” (Hinton, p.4). Ponyboy knows he has the potential to be something else and while being in hiding in the church it helps him realize that if he really wanted to he could be whatever he puts his mind
A choice made by Darry affects Ponyboy by making Pony do bad things.”You don’t yell at him!” Darry wheeled around and slapped me so hard that it knocked me against the door”(Hinton 50). This choice was made because Ponyboy was being disrespectful to Darry, and that's why he slapped Ponyboy across the face.
The book The Outsiders is the realistic story about this between two very different groups in a town in the United States: the poor Greasers from the east side, and the Socs, whitch is what the greasers call the socials, the richer boys from the other side of the town. Ponyboy Curtis is the narrator of the story, a 14-year-old boy who lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Soda. He is a pretty good athlete and student, but is not treated the same as the richer students at his school. Ponyboy uses to have long hair that he greases back, a symbol of being in the outsider gang. He is unhappy with his situation, because Darry is too protective of him and he always has to be afraid of Socs attacking him.
Ponyboy was a bad kid, he fought against Socs and he even smoked a weed, which is a cigarette. Later on he got into worse trouble and had to hide. He wanted to change and be a different person. While he hid he was scared and frightened and was beginning to think of how he was doing in life, and his thoughts were not very well. After the church incident, he began to change a little.
His parents died when he was young. He was nurtured by his older brothers. Pony has to struggle at the bottom of the social ladder. Like the people around him, he has to fight, steal and scare little kids. However, Pony remained a pure heart, a golden heart. He only fights when he has to defend himself. He kept his heart of sympathy, understanding of others and think for the others. Like in when the church was burned, he understands the situation of the teacher and children. So he risked his life to safe the kids. The most straight forward example and conclusion of Pony’s good heart is the word of Johnny, “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold…” Moreover, Ponyboy is a thinker. He can think for the opposite side of his gang, the Socs. Although the Socs almost drowned him, he can still understand the Socs and didn’t be blinded by the hate. He in the chaos and impulsive world can see through the surface of the conflict and see the core of the world that people are the same. That is really amazing and Ponyboy does have the board mind of a hero.
“Since Mom and Dad were killed in an auto wreck, the three of us get to stay together only as long as we behave (2).” This explains why Ponyboy, Dally and Sodapop did not have parents. In the novel, this really effected their life and character. "…It was Darry. He hit me. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't take him hollering at me and hitting me too... He didn't use to be like that... we used to get along okay... before Mom and Dad died. Now he just can't stand me (2)." This shows that not having their parents anymore effected Darry’s character and how he treated Ponyboy, which in return effected how Ponyboy felt about himself in comparison to how he was treated. This illustrates that Ponyboy believes that Darry picks on him all the time. This shows that Darry was like a caring parent in a tough way,
This situation occurs when Darry states,“ ‘I don’t know if you ought to be in this rumble, Pony,’ ”(134). Although what Darry says is in concern of his little brother, for PonyBoy, the fight is more important than his health at the moment. When Ponyboy ends up passing out for three days from the fight with the Socs, it may show that this risk did not go well(157). But, in a sense, it helped Ponyboy get his anger out and free his mind for some time. Overall, it did not hurt Ponyboy to get knocked out. Johnny says this after he killed someone instinctively, “ ‘I killed him,’ he said slowly. ‘I killed that boy’ ”(56). Shortly after Johnny kills Bob the Soc to protect Ponyboy, he realizes what he has done. Whether or not this was a good decision, in the end he saved his friend from dying. In any case, this was self defense. To add on to events that were risks, these two were great
After the church fire Ponyboy comes to the realization of many things. Two-Bit and Ponyboy are eating at a restaurant known as Tasty Freeze when Randy asks to speak with him. Ponyboy tells Randy, ¨Maybe you would have done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual¨(115). He finds out that you cannot define someone based on of they are part of the Socs or the greasers. Furthermore, he finds out that every one is a individual and that means that just because he is a part of a certain group it does not mean that they are all going to react or perceive a situation in the same exact way. In addition, he say this to Randy because when there was a fire in the church Dally was not willing to risk his life to save someone else's when Johnny and Ponyboy were more than willing to help the kids. This shows event shows how all Greasers and Socs are not the same. In the beginning of the novel Ponyboy believed Darry disliked him and thought he was a nuisance. However, later on at the hospital Ponyboy tells Darry, “I’m sorry” (98). Ponyboy’s words expose how he feels bad for thinking Darry disliked him all along when in truth he loved him more than words could describe. He realizes that Darry fears losing another family member that is why he is so overprotective of Ponyboy. Hence, proving Ponyboy is clearly a dynamic character.
In The Outsiders it is given that through faith and devotion to one another Ponyboy and the gang use their close friendship in troublesome situations for instance when Johnny tells Ponyboy “i had to” he does this as an act of loyalty to Ponyboy to show him that he can trust him no matter what situation they are in. Most of the story is told from first person or Ponies perspective which shows us without exception every aspect of the story. When Johnny dies at the end of the book Ponyboy only then realizes the importance of him, and the gangs need for someone like Johnny to give them a sense of purpose after mentioning “we couldn't get along without him . We needed Johnny as much as he needed the gang.” Throughout all of Ponyboys hardships Johnny was always there to support him even when Ponyboy wanted to run away after darry slapped him, he never asked any questions.
Ponyboy Curtis struggles growing up as a poor youth with his two brothers. One night while he is out with Johnny, Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs. Johnny ends up killing one of the Socs. They both flee from the scene before the news gets out. They are caught in a fire and Johnny and Ponyboy become heroes for saving some children. The story has a tragic end for Johnny but Ponyboy realises that he is fortunate, having family and friends that love him
I was dizzy enough anyway. I could tell it was Darry though---partly because of the voice and partly because Darry's always rough with me without meaning to be. (Hinton, p.6) Ponyboy does well in school though often struggles with common sense on the street. He is more of a pacifist than a lot of other children and teen-agers in his town. Pony prefers to read and watch sunsets over fighting in rumbles.
Ponyboy and Darry may have been brothers but they were also rivals for most of the book. If you were an onlooker, this conflict might have passed you right up. At one point Darry hit Ponyboy which resulted in him running away. “Darry wheeled around and slapped me so hard it knocked me against the door” ( Hinton 50). Nobody, in the entire Curtis family and friends, has ever hit Ponyboy before so when Darry hit him, all three of the brothers were in shock.
Pony should stay with Darry because he is a good guardian and he watches and cares for Ponyboy. “Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is?” When Pony stays out until 2 am Darry becomes very worried. So he starts yelling at him because he was concerned for him…”Oh Pony I’d thought we’d lost you like we did mom and dad..”. This shows that Darry was worried for Pony when he ran away. Then Ponyboy realizes that Darry really does care for him. Because Darry yells at Pony a lot,