The Outsiders is a book, written by S.E. Hinton set in the 1960s in the town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the story there are two rival gangs, the Socs and the Greasers. The Socs are a gang of rich west side kids and the Greasers are a gang of poor west side kids. Ponyboy, a fourteen year old, super smart, and athletic boy is stuck in the middle of the conflict between the Greasers and the Socs. Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers in one of the poorer neighborhoods. Pony goes through many troubles that many kids should not face, like being beat up by kids much bigger and older and having to always be worried about being put into a boys home away from him family. Through these events, Ponyboy changes from being a kid mentally to an adult who …show more content…
Besides losing his parent in a car accident and the trouble with Socs, Pony likes his life. Pony is in high school when he should be in middle school and loves doing his school work. He excels and is smarter than many other kids and has his family's support through it all. Pony likes to hang out with the older Greasers and they treat him like he is an older kid. They let Pony do everything with them like fight, throw party's, smoke (even though he is way to young,) and just hang. The Greasers also always stick up for him. In the beginning of the …show more content…
Pony starts to understand, through talking to Johnny and learning about his life, he has it better off than some people. A few days later, Dally, the Greaser who helped them, shows up at the church. He takes Johnny and Pony to a Dairy Queen to get a bite to eat. On their way back from the Dairy Queen, the boys notice that the church is on fire. Pony and Johnny instantly jump out of the car after they hear the screams of some children inside. They rush into the church and run to the back rooms to rescue the children. When the last of the kids are out, a burning timber crashes down into Johnny. They rush him to the hospital in a very bad condition. A few days later, when Johnny is about to die, Johnny tells Ponyboy that it was worth saving the kids and that everyone has a purpose in life no matter how bad it is. Johnny said that his purpose may have been saving those kids, but Pony should keep living life to its fullest. Johnny dies not long after. Pony can't get over his death and the fact that Pony thinks it was his fault. Pony ends up not wanting to “chill” and mess around with his other Greasers. He stops wanting to do his best at his school work and just sit around. The child in Ponyboy is gone. It went with Johnny. Ponyboy is no longer scared of the Socs or fighting. At the end of the book, some Socs come up to him and threaten him. Pony breaks off the end of his bottle and chases them away (pg. 171). Pony is now a man who will stick up for
He is smart, and gets good grades in school. This is purposefully mentioned several times within the story, and people tend to be surprised to learn that he is a Greaser. In addition, some Greasers are nicer than people tend to think. When the church burned down, Ponyboy and Johnny run in to save the children without a second thought. They acted with selflessness, putting the safety of the children above their own. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Ponyboy is asked if he and Johnny are "professional heroes". He responds by telling the entire story of how they're Greasers and Johnny is wanted for murder, shocking the man in the ambulance. It is difficult for him to believe that a group of Greasers would do something so heroic. Johnny dies as a direct result of their actions, but neither Ponyboy nor Johnny regretted what they
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
He realizes that he had an identity that he can communicate and be like a greaser, but doesn’t devote to the greaser way of life. In the scene, Ponyboy has an advanced way of life that includes both the Soc and greaser style, “Socs are just guys after all...Thing are rough all over.” Ponyboy at this time, understands how a Soc and a Greaser are similar and are of the same kind, human, yet are also different. He establishes an idea that the identity of a person is important because it describes who you are. As a result, Pony learns to look between the lines of people, not just at the extremes. The evidence that supports this is also “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” as I stated before. Andy says, “I’m Andy, he screamed wordlessly, I’m Andy.” When Andy’s death was coming close, the only thing we wanted in the end, was an identity. Similar to Ponyboy who is different from the gang and has a distinct personality. He is disparate because in the gang, Pony was the only one who ever thought about the sky, clouds, and books, which proves him exclusively in the group. This proves that Andy and Ponyboy are different from their gang and have a personality different from the group, and they both actually want to be different and be known not as a Royal or a Greaser, but as Andy and
Pony and Johnny do not hesitate and jump in to save the children, Pony gets out ok but Johnny is hit with a piece of falling wood and serious burnt. The boys appear in the news as heroes, even though they are still wanted for murdering the Soc. Pony is fine, but Johnny is badly hurt. After a while, there is a big fight between the Greasers and the Socs.
Ponyboy was a bad kid, he fought against Socs and he even smoked a weed, which is a cigarette. Later on he got into worse trouble and had to hide. He wanted to change and be a different person. While he hid he was scared and frightened and was beginning to think of how he was doing in life, and his thoughts were not very well. After the church incident, he began to change a little.
Johnny and Ponyboy are good friends and this friendship really shined when Johnny saved Ponyboy by killing Bob. They were jumped by 5 Socs and Ponyboy spat in Bob’s face and one of the Socs stuck his face in the fountain. He would’ve drowned if Johnny had not done what he did. Before all this happened, we must talk about when Johnny agreed to run away with Pony without hesitation. Darry had slapped Pony for coming home late and the pair ran away shortly after. Johnny and Ponyboy ran away with the help of Dally, which we will get into later, and got to an abandoned church that caught fire by one of their cigarettes. There were kids inside the church and they jumped inside to save them. Johnny told Pony to jump out before him and in the process Johnny broke his back and got severally burned. To cut things short I think Johnny is a real hero and I hope he does not die from his injuries from the
The Outsiders, an enthralling novel by S.E Hinton, is an excellent story about the hardships and triumphs experienced by the Greasers and the Socs two rival gangs. S.E Hinton tells a thrilling tale about the Socs and the Greasers that are two gangs and she characterize how they live. Ponyboy, his brother and his friends have to deal with the challenges relating to their environment. The three most important topics of The Outsiders are survival, social class and family support.
His parents died when he was young. He was nurtured by his older brothers. Pony has to struggle at the bottom of the social ladder. Like the people around him, he has to fight, steal and scare little kids. However, Pony remained a pure heart, a golden heart. He only fights when he has to defend himself. He kept his heart of sympathy, understanding of others and think for the others. Like in when the church was burned, he understands the situation of the teacher and children. So he risked his life to safe the kids. The most straight forward example and conclusion of Pony’s good heart is the word of Johnny, “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold…” Moreover, Ponyboy is a thinker. He can think for the opposite side of his gang, the Socs. Although the Socs almost drowned him, he can still understand the Socs and didn’t be blinded by the hate. He in the chaos and impulsive world can see through the surface of the conflict and see the core of the world that people are the same. That is really amazing and Ponyboy does have the board mind of a hero.
He knows that Ponyboy has a chance because he is very smart. How they both reacted to not having parents shaped and effected who they are. “Johnny was high-strung anyway, a nervous wreck from getting belted every time he turned around and from hearing his parents fight all the time(2).” This explains how Johnny was effected by his parents. His parents constantly fighting and beating him made him who he was. A part of him was effected by all the chaos and pain he had to go through every day. “We're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next. 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. I don't mean I do things like that. Darry would kill me if I got into trouble with the police.” Social roles are a part of self-image that makes a person who they are. In the novel Ponyboy explains the groups that the Greasers and Sochs were split into. This
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.
Leaving the greasers behind was not an easy choice, but Ponyboy’s willingness to sacrifice led him to realize this was the right choice to make to help Johnny. This is shown when Ponyboy says, "We gotta get outta here. Get somewhere. Runaway...” (Hinton 50). Ponyboy’s clearly struggling with the consequences of leaving and his fear of the police possible catching them, but he has to sacrifice staying and run away so they do not get caught despite leaving the greasers behind. Ponyboy later rethinks his choice when he says, I was beginning to relax and wonder if running away was such a great idea,” (Hinton 46). Even Tho Ponyboy thought the choice of running away as a bad idea he still stayed with his friend, therefore, showing ponyboys willingness to
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 book and movie were different from each other in many ways. The Outsiders is about a boy (Ponyboy) who tells us his story about how he feels being a Greaser. His friends (including him) are all one gang who look out for each other and hang out. Their rivals, the Socs, are the rich kids that like to beat up and pick on the Greasers. Ponyboy tells us what happens to him during one week. Ponyboy goes to the movies with his friends and meets two girl Socs. Dally, Ponyboy’s one friend, talks to the Socs. Ponyboy and Johnny tell Dally to leave the Socs alone and the Socs invite them to sit with them. After the movie the Socs boyfriends show up and threaten to start a fight for messing around with
Ponyboy Curtis struggles growing up as a poor youth with his two brothers. One night while he is out with Johnny, Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs. Johnny ends up killing one of the Socs. They both flee from the scene before the news gets out. They are caught in a fire and Johnny and Ponyboy become heroes for saving some children. The story has a tragic end for Johnny but Ponyboy realises that he is fortunate, having family and friends that love him
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."