There is a saying, “we are all in the same game of life, just on different levels”. Is this true in the novel The Outsiders? Or does one social group struggle more? The novel The Outsiders by the American author S.E Hinton, follows a “delinquent” gang called the greasers, and their privileged enemies, the Socs. When Johnny Cade, a greaser, murders a Soc, he and his friend, Ponyboy Curtis, are on a run from law. They receive help from their fellow greaser, Dallas Winston, and the Socy cheerleader, Sherri or Cherry Valance. Overall, the greaser struggle a lot more than the Socs in their everyday life. One struggle the greasers have is money. “We’re poorer than the Socs and middle class” (Hinton, 1967, pg.3). This quote shows that they are …show more content…
“They’ll know we’re hood the minute they see us, I thought” (Hinton, 1967, pg.64). This quote shows that even the greasers themselves know that they are stereotyped by kids their own age and even adults. When Ponyboy says this, he is worried because being “hood” is not something that is respected. “You don’t see a kid grease and a Socy cheerleader together often” (Hinton, 1967, pg. 30). This quote shows how it is is stereotyped that a greaser and a Soc cannot be friends or get along at all. In the story’s setting, it is not accepted that both social groups are equal. It is accepted that the Socs and middle class are somehow better than the greasers. Stereotyping the greasers creates conflict for them. Sometimes they want people to know that they are hood, but thinking that all greasers are ghetto and nasty, is not …show more content…
“Greasers can’t walk alone too much or they’ll get jumped” (Hinton, 1967, pg.2). This quote shows that something as simple and mundane as walking down the street alone can potentially be dangerous for the greasers. It is mostly the Socs, the highest class (financially), who jump greasers, beat greasers, and cut their long, prized, and greasy hair. “Johnny was scared of his own shadow after that” (Hinton, 1967, pg. 4). This quote shows how negative the beatings from the Socs can be, especially when greasers are alone which means they are more vulnerable. The Socs jump whoever they want, whenever they want. The Socs’s beatings can scar a person for life, mentally and physically. They have no justification for their
In S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders Socs and Greasers are enemies. Society put them against each other and labeled them. Greasers are the poor, dirty, no-good kids that nobody wants around. Socs are stuck-up, perfect, rich kids who looks down on everybody. In the book, two boys- Johnny and Ponyboy- start some trouble with a couple of Socs, and Bob is killed. They have to run from the police, all while the tension between Greasers and Socs is thicker than ever. Throughout the novel, it explains how “things are rough all over”. The Greasers have it the worse because they feel emotions so harshly, they are constantly getting jumped by the Socs, and they only have each other because their families are broken.
First of all, Socs and greasers have a stereotype, Socs have Mustangs, Madras, and leather jackets; Greasers have greasy hair. These clues show that they are a group and do everything together. When Ponyboy said “Our hair labeled us greasers, too – it was our trademark. The one thing we were proud of. Maybe we couldn't have Corvairs and Madras suits, but we could have hair” (Hinton 71) This line in the book illustrates that what they have in their
In the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy, along with his brothers and friends, has to face the daily struggles of being a greaser among the Socs. This fiction book focused on Ponyboy’s life and the problems he ran into with the Socs. He and his gang of friends had fights with the Socs that happened often, and had to deal with a Soc being killed by one of the Greasers, though it was an act of self defense. The three topics addressed in this intriguing novel are the fight between rich and poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.
Once, a wise soul has spoken, “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful”. Adversity means having troubles and difficulties. It’s what you need to persevere through in order to do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time. If you want to pass that test, you’ve gotta conquer your fears and fight through all the troubles that arrive in front of you. Become your own hero. Adversity is a situation that took place in the novel “The Outsiders”, by S.E. Hinton.
One reason that the Greasers are a disgrace to society was because of their looks. From just looking at them you could tell that they meant mischief. Greasers were not the average group of kids; they were hoodlums. When speaking of how the townspeople viewed Greasers, Ponyboy says, "But most looked at us like we were dirt"(15). Greasers wore their hair long, dressed in blue jeans and T-Shirts and left their shirttails out and wore leather jackets, and tennis shoes or boots. They are below middle class and look like they are always trying to steal something, due to
Greasers were the lowest among the society. The society had negative thoughts towards Greasers, because there were not many things people expected from the Greasers other than doing bad things such as stealing, having rumble, and other bad things that happened around the society. Not every Greaser does bad things, however, the Greasers took the blame for anything bad even if it was the Socs fault. It is because everyone expected the Greasers to do bad things instead of the Socs. Even though the Greasers had a bad reputation, they didn’t care, but instead they enjoyed their lives. Sometimes the Greasers do bad things but only for fun and because it was the society’s expectations. If the Greasers did something good, no one would expect or believe the Greasers did it. No one would ever expect the Greasers to be heroes, just like the man whose kids were saved by Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dallas. “’Mrs. O’Briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven. Or are you just professional heroes or something?’ Sent from heaven? Had he gotten look at Dallas? ‘No, we’re greasers.’” (Page...
After all, they are the “out” group— the clique that society condones. Ponyboy, the protagonist, also identifies himself as part of them. While reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, he felt Pip, the main character reminded him of the greasers–”the way he felt marked lousy because he wasn’t a gentleman or anything, and the way that girl kept looking down on him” (Doc B). Greasers are lookeed down opon in society becuase they aren’t rich, and the image associated with them is negative. They are believed to be a general menace to society; people think they all steal stuff for kicks, attack innocent bystanders for no reason, and are uneducated hoodlums. They are outsiders to society as a whole. Pony, no matter how smart or talented he may be, will always be treated as an outsider by the Socs just because he’s a
On pg. 2, the text states that, “I’m not sure how you spell it, but it’s the abbreviation for the socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids.” This quote shows how the Socs are viewed by the Outsiders as the wealthy kids that live on the West side. In the book, the Socs are seen as the people who jump the Greasers, wreck houses, and throw beer blasts. The Socs have a mixed opinion by society. In the newspaper, the Socs are in one article for being a disgrace to society and in the next article they are a pleasure to have in the community. The text states that on pg. 38, “You Greasers have a different set of values. You’re more emotional. We’re sophisticated.” This is a quote stated by a Socs girl named Cherry, who describes the Greasers she and a friend met at the movie theatre. Cherry’s perception shows how the Socs are viewed verses the the Greasers. Also, Greasers have preconceived perceptions about the Socs
Greasers are the lowest of society and deserve whatever they get for being a Greaser nor do they deserve any chance to escape the vicious cycle of poverty and judgement and become anything but a Greaser. None of these beliefs are true, but society believes them to be true. Though it is true that many Greasers give up and conform to society’s expectations, who can blame them? In a society that will never accept them, why should they bother? However, Darrel Curtis, a Greaser, refuses to believe in his inherent “lack of worth” as a Greaser, unlike many of his friends and family. He is equal to or better than most Socs, and people can see it, yet few believe it and even fewer choose to make any note of it. The few people who take note of it, his family and a very select few, note that had he been born under slightly different circumstances such as not being born poor and had his parents not die, he could have been a Soc, gone to college and succeeded at life. Darry should have had a future regardless of his lack of socioeconomic status because of his considerable intelligence, hardwork and
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about a group called the greasers, a group called the socs and what’s different between the groups and what’s the same. The greasers are the kids with little money, who feel a lot, and are tough. The socs are rich kids with not enough emotions and they never get in trouble. The Greasers have it worse because they have broken families, are always getting jumped by the socs, and are expected to steal and be rude because of their backgrounds.
Greasers are real people just like Socs, but they do not fit in as easily. They feel as though they don’t belong anywhere. Or in other words, they are outsiders. Hence the title name. Ponyboy especially feels like this due to the fact that he does not fit in very well with Socs or Greasers. The rest of Pony’s gang feels more like the fit as Greasers. In conclusion, the title of the novel fits with the theme because they do not fit in anywhere, and they are outsiders.
The Outsiders is a book about Greasers And Socs. The Greasers are the poor east side kids they would wear their hair long and greasy and they will dress in blue jeans, T-shirts, or wear they shirttails out and wear a leather jacket and tennis shoes or boots. The Socs are the rich west side kids that worn nice clothes, drove nice cars, and had all the pretty lady’s. They both was gangs in Oklahoma. The Socs they would jump Greasers, wreck houses, and throw beer blasts for kicks.
The Socs are almost always the ones that are starting the fights. For instance, jumping the Greasers all the time,just out of boredom! They usually also target weaker victims, just like when they beat up Johnny. Johnny is a Greaser, the “pet” of the group, and one of the youngest. The Socs affected him so badly that he had a scar emotionally and physically. “Johnny's face was cut up and bruised and swollen, and there was a wide gash from his temple to his cheekbone. He would carry that scar all his life. His white T-shirt was splattered with blood. I thought he might be dead; surely nobody could be beaten like that and live”(Hinton 29). Here, the author reveals that the Socs did some damage to Johnny that he would have as long as he lives, and it’s not only the physical hurt. Even though the Greasers are not fully innocent, overall the Socs have done more
The book “the Outsiders” (S.E. Hinton) is based on the story of two gangs the Greasers and the Socs. These two groups of individuals have conflicts. the Greasers are the East side working class people. The Socs are the West side rich kids. they drive around in a blue mustang, they “jump” the greasers and injure them purely because they are lesser than the Socs. The Greasers are a interesting bunch of individuals. the story is based from their perspective. They aren’t rich but they get by, they steal they fight they smoke but they aren’t bad guys.
Typically, greasers are depicted as people similar to hoods, as Ponyboy states, "Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while" (Hinton 4). Yet, even though Ponyboy is a greaser, he avoids getting into trouble for the sake of staying together with his family. He explains that, "I don't mean I do things like that... Since Mom and Dad were killed in an auto wreck, the three of us get to stay together only as long as we behave. So Soda and I stay out of trouble as much as we can, and we're careful not to get caught when we can't" (Hinton 4). Alternatively, Pony also enjoys activities such as reading and watching movies. Even simpler things, such as sunsets and clouds, are something he found beauty and enjoyment in. This sets him apart from the greasers because according to Pony, he states that, "And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do" (Hinton 3). Since nobody other than Ponyboy himself shares the enjoyment of these particular pastimes, which is drastically different from pursuits such as shoplifting and fighting in rumbles, Ponyboy is divergent from the standard attributes of the greasers. Therefore, Ponyboy is a thoughtful and dreamy individual who holds different interests and aspirations than the