The Outsiders

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The novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about a boy named Ponyboy who belongs to a group called Greasers. There are 2 types of gangs in the novel; Greasers and Socs. The Socs look down on the Greasers because they had a low social status. Being an outsider produces a feeling of inferiority, isolation and even violence. In the following paragraphs these feelings will be fully explained. Being an outsider can lead to a feeling of Inferiority. One of the characters that feels inferior is Ponyboy. In the novel, Ponyboy states that he doesn’t want to be a greaser or a hood. On page 132, Ponyboy said, “I don’t want to be hood, but even if I don’t steal things and mug people and get boozed up, I’m marked lousy. Why should I be proud of it?” Ponyboy explains that he does not to be a greaser. He is marked lousy largely because of his situation-one of poverty. Another example is when Randy meets Ponyboy at his house. He feels embarrassed because his house is not as well kept as the house of the Socs. On the next paragraph, the feeling of an outsider being isolated will be fully e...

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