The Outsiders Analysis

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What being an Outsider Truly Means The title “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is very transparent and requires deeper thinking to be understood, because in the end it is like an onion. You can peel of layers and layers but there is still more. Ms. Hinton never did mention who the outsiders were or outsiders at all, so what is an “outsider”? I believe that we are all outsiders, because being an outsider means to be different and to work well together because of that. Perhaps a hidden moral to the book is that being an outsider isn’t a bad thing. My first definition of an outsider would be someone who is different or doesn’t feel they belong, but maybe that is all depending on perspective. Ms. Hinton might have just meant that an outsider is …show more content…

Everyone is an outsider for separate reasons but mainly because they are diverse and have unique personalities. Ponyboy is an outsider because he is a dreamer, Darry is an outsider because he is very determined and firm, Sodapop is an outsider because he is sensitive and happy. With thinking like this you would realize that some of the main “outsiders” in the book, in particular, would be Cherry, Randy and some of the other socs, the richer kids, along with the greasers. “Things are rough all over.” This passage can indicate a lot of things, but I think it helps to highlight the fact that everyone is different but everyone has problems. Later in the book another expert shows Ponyboy actually recognizing the truth in how rough things are for everyone. “I really couldn’t see what socs had to sweat about -good grades, good cars… ...I know better now.” This really discerns when Ponyboy began to realize everyone is an outsider. With this in mind being an outsider really doesn’t seem so …show more content…

Being normal is fake, everyone is different. As long as you are happy, your differences don’t matter. The greasers learn how to be happy together and not worry about what other people think. They are a good example of obvious outsiders, but you can make anyone an example of an outsider. The real thing that matters is whether they embrace their differences or not. Throughout the story Ponyboy, the principal character, learns more about his difference and how to embrace them. “Ponyboy, listen, don’t get tough. You’re not like the rest of us and don’t try to be…” One of the other characters in the story says this to Ponyboy near the end. In the real world it is just as accurate. We don’t have to be the same as our peers. Being an “outsider” isn’t bad. It’s good. Being different is what makes the world go round. If people didn’t have different personalities and skills, we wouldn’t have different jobs and we can’t succeed, likewise, it involves different people with different talents to accomplish different things. We can’t be hesitant to be outsiders. I believe this was something very important in the book. Ponyboy learns that being different or being an outsider is good. So we can

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