Gang Members: A Truly Destructive Lifestyle

A gang is an organized group of criminals who form together for a common goal or identity. Gangs can be formed based upon race, ethnicity, territory, or money making activities, and are generally made up of members varying anywhere between the age of 12 to 24. There are a variety of reasons behind the formation of gangs, whether it be for protection, profit, or because a group of people share a common trait. A gang rivalry is formed when two or more gangs grow to despise each other for their differences. Common divergences include race, gender, religion and social class. S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is a novel that deeply examines the aspects of gang life portrayed by the rivalry between two fictional social classes known as the Greasers and the Socials. Throughout the novel, the author emphasizes on the purposelessness of gangs and gang rivalries as well as the negative effects that gang involvement brings upon members of both parties.
The rivalry between the Greasers and the Socials originates directly from differing social statuses. The Greasers live on the East Side, and are known to be very poor. They are characterized by their long greasy hair and like to dress in blue jeans and T-shirts, or wear their shirttails out and wear leather jackets and tennis shoes or boots. They are falsely labeled as “hoods” by society and have it a lot harder than the Socs do because of their bad reputation. On the other hand, the Socials are the West-Side “rich kids” who are characterized by having expensive cars, fancy clothing, and girlfriends. They like to jump Greasers, wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks. (Hinton 3) The Socs can basically get away with anything they want to since they have a lot of money and are known as an “asset...

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...nsequences of gang involvement and proves that what goes on at the core of a gang isn’t as appealing as what is seen on the outside. What may be perceived as a group of cool, stylish, hardcore, wealthy and powerful individuals is really nothing more than a band of twisted cold-hearted killers that represent a serious threat and danger to society. Being part of a gang is pointless, meaningless, dangerous, and leads to nothing more than the complete and total destruction of all of the lives that get involved with them.

Works Cited

Hinton, S.E., The Outsiders, New York, Puffin Books, 1967.
Delaney, Tim. American Street Gangs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.
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Santos, Michael. Inside: Life behind Bars in America. New York: St. Martin's, 2006. Print.
"About the National Gang Center." National Gang Center™. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.