Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
What is the importance of character development in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Perspective Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character. Ponyboy is a completely different …show more content…
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. Overall, throughout the novel Ponyboy encounters various life changing events,
According to Chris Pine, “The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.” This quote means you can choose how you view people and things.This relates to the Outsiders because the novel is about how you choose to view people. The Outsiders is about how people shouldn’t judge others based on stereotypes and they should get to know them first.
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
The movie, The Outsiders, starts with the Curtis parents on their weekly, Saturday evening drive to the baking store to buy some ingredients for their boys’ favorite Sunday morning, breakfast treat: chocolate cake. The Curtis boys love their chocolate cake for Sunday breakfast not only because they love it, but also because they appreciate how hard their parents have to work to save the monies necessary for the morsels that put smiles on their faces!
“ But we just didn't have the money for him to go to college, even with the athletic scholarship he won. And now he didn't have time between jobs to even think about college. So he never went anywhere and never did anything anymore, except work out at gyms and go skiing with some old friends of his sometimes,”(15). This shows that Darry puts Ponyboy’s and Soda’s needs above his own, and that he is willing to sacrifice his social life in order to have financial stability for his two younger brothers. Also it demonstrates that Darry obtains two jobs in order to give Ponyboy the chance to make something of himself, and not be stuck in the slums for the rest of his life. Even though Ponyboy staying with his brothers is the obvious choice, others may argue that Ponyboy should be put into a boys home. “...but he can't stand me. I bet he wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere, and he'd do it, too, if Soda'd let him,”(37) This shows that Ponyboy thinks that Darry doesn’t love him, and that he would get rid of him if he got the chance. However, this perception was proven wrong when Darry was crying when Ponyboy finally came home,
The story The Outsiders By S.E Hinton is said to be “timeless” because kids can relate to the characters and themes of the story. In my opinion the story The Outsiders is not timeless because kids these days can’t relate to the characters in the story The Outsiders. Kids today aren’t riding in rodeos, roll drunks, jump smaller kids, walk to a stranger's house, or get in a stranger’s car, also they get arrested at the age of 10. Saying the statement “The Outsiders is a “timeless” book “ is an invalid statement. So, Kids today often don’t relate to The Outsiders anymore in many ways.
S. E. Hinton’s argument is given from the perspective of a 14 year old Greaser named Pony boy Curtis who is being raised by his older brothers Darrel and Soda pop. The theme of the Outsiders is no matter what side you may grow up on whether you are a Greaser or a Socs, that you all can still have the same problems, see the same solutions, and dream the same dreams. You are also able to see how his character grows up and matures during the various interactions throughout this book. The two gangs in the book are the Greasers and the Socs (socials) and honestly, even after reading the book the only reason they didn’t like each other is they both had assumptions about each other that really weren’t correct.
“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,
After their conversation, Pony realizes what Cherry meant when she said that things were “rough all over.” Even the Socs, who he had previously thought had no problems, had problems too, maybe even worse than his. After Johnny died, minutes after the Greasers had won the rumble, Ponyboy realizes that fighting is stupid and that it will not change anything. One will always be a Greaser until one decides to make a change, not waiting for something to happen. Ponyboy is no longer self-conscious around Randy, knowing that he will not judge him and that they are equal. Nearing the end of the story, Ponyboy knows that the Socs are not better than him and that the Greasers are not better than the Socs. They were all the same. Ponyboy was done with the Socs treating him and others the way that they did, and he finally stood up for himself. Ponyboy was still the same person and he showed that through his actions. Post court, Ponyboy did not go back to normal like he thought he would. Originally being very smart in school, he was now failing classes, could not remember certain things, and made many mistakes. He started yelling back at Darry, showing that he really did not care
He separated himself from the Greaser collective and made his identity his own. He no longer saw himself as only a Greaser and began to mold his identity and become more diverse. He decided that he did not want to fight anymore. He saw it as a pointless thing and became altruistic. He became an independent person and evolved to a higher state of thinking. He changed his identity and it changed even more when he went to the countryside with Johnny. When Ponyboy and Johnny ran away into the countryside after killing someone, they hid in a church until Dally their friend came to meet them. He came and they were going to head back to the church when they saw that it was on fire with kids inside. Ponyboy and Johnny made the split-second to go into the church to save the kids. Johnny, Dally, and Ponyboy went into the flaming building and managed to save the kids at the sacrifice of their health. Ponyboy was selfless and committed a selfless deed. He changed his identity even more. He no longer felt for himself and Greasers. He did the right thing and changed his identity; he believed in doing the right thing. Ponyboy committed a deed of good and changed to become unselfish. Ponyboy felt that he was a Greaser and that was who he was. He changed as he realized what he really was and what potential he had. He began doing the right thing and was more altruistic. He changed for the better and was a kinder, stronger, selfless
The book ‘The Outsiders’ by S.E. Hinton, is a novel about Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles between right and wrong where there is Socs and Greasers and which he believes that he is an outsider. In ‘The Outsiders’ the author portrays the theme through characters, actions, and symbols.
Good Morning, Today I will be presenting a monologue about the decision to not go to the rumble by Randy Adderson in the novel, The Outsiders.
The Outsiders is a novel by S.E Hinton, that follows a young boy named Ponyboy who grows up in a gang. Johnny, Sodapop and Darry help him find how he fits into the world and without them he would have a hard time finding his own identity. Without having a close group of friends he would have a tough way of life, especially with the Socs. Being in a group that you associate with, that have different values to yourself can lead you to disregard your own ethics and do things you wouldn’t normally do, but at the same time this can assist and reinforce your own values…
The Outsiders identified the 60’s, often there would be violence between groups and often involving a group’s social class. For instance, the tensions between the Socs and Greasers is violent, and this will lead to Bob’s death, Johnny’s death, as well as many injuries throughout both gangs. The book The Outsiders is written by S.E. Hinton and is portrayed through the eyes of a high school student in Tulsa, OK where S.E. Hinton grew up. Hinton began writing The Outsiders in 1965 at the age of 17 and the book was finally published in 1967 when she was 19. The difference in perspective upon the society and social class creates issues throughout The Outsiders and they assume the problems will be solved with violence,
"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” (42). This does show that Pony does not get along very well with Darry, however it shows that Ponyboy does get along well with Soda. Pony finds comfort in Soda when he fights with Darry. Sodapop helps tighten the three brother relationship.“ ‘We‘re all we got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything. If we don‘t have each other, we don‘t have anything. If you don‘t have anything, you end up like Dallas . . . and I don‘t mean dead, either. I mean like he was before. And that‘s worse than dead. Please’ ”- he wiped his eyes on his arm- “ ‘don‘t fight anymore’ ” says Soda (176). “ ‘Sure... sure little buddy, we ain't goin' to fight anymore’ ” Darry answers (176). This demonstrates that eventually Ponyboy and Darry stop
The Outsiders is about the life of a 14-year-old boy. The book tells the story of Ponyboy “Curtis” and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. Ponyboy and his two brothers, Darrel (Darry), who is 20, and Sodapop, who is 16, have recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. Pony and Soda are allowed to stay under Darry's guardianship as long as they all behave themselves. The boys are greasers, a class term that refers to the young men on the East Side, the poor side of town. The greasers' rivals are the Socs, short for Socials, who are the "West-side rich kids."