In The Outsiders, Ponyboy’s strongest value is his identity. He is a Greaser, and is part of a gang that includes his two older brothers. He lives with his brothers and has no parents as they died eight months prior to the narration of the story. He has grown up as a Greaser but he dreams of a different life. He wants to do something more than just being a Greaser. Life as a Greaser doesn’t fit him and he wants to change. He changes for the better and does the right thing. This reaps good results and is seen as a hero. But when he meets Cherry, he sees that other people also want to become more than what they are. Cherry, a girl he meets at a movie, invites him into her world as a Soc; lets him know what life as a Soc is like and how she …show more content…
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
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Show MoreIn our community stereotypes play a part in life, but in The Outsiders it is the core theme of the story combining with teenage struggles. In The Outsiders the main character Ponyboy Curtis conforms to the image of a Greaser and seen as the most stereotypical example of a Greaser. On some occasions he can see through the stereotype to see that we are all the same, because it is just how other people see you that make you different, and that doesn’t matter. In some chapters Ponyboy says that he is a Greaser and they are Socs but in others he says they are a...
The Characteristics of Ponyboy and How They Developed inThe Outsiders by S. E. Hinton The novel "The Outsiders", by S.E. Hinton was based on a character called Ponyboy. He has long light-brown, almost red hair and greenish-grey eyes. It was normal for him to have long hair because he was classified as a "greaser", a boy on the East Side. The only people he has for a family are his two older brothers and his neighbours, the other greasers. Throughout the book it shows you the development of him becoming more mature and how he handles life's challenges without his parents.
Throughout a person’s life, he will go through many experiences that may change him from the person he used to be. Johnny has been abused and mistreated throughout his life. After the beating he got from the socs, Johnny was more anxious and frightened than ever. He would never get over that horrible experience. When describing Johnny, Ponyboy says, “If you can picture a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers, you’ll have Johnny” (page 11). Nobody would ever expect a shy and nervous greasers to become a hero. Nevertheless, Johnny proved that to be wrong. When the church caught fire, Johnny and Ponyboy abruptly ran inside to rescue the little kids who were trapped. As Johnny was helping a kid to get out, a piece of timber fell on him. As a result, Johnny was in critical condition. At the hospital he told Ponyboy he didn’t want to die because he hadn’t lived yet. Johnny was terrified of dying. After the rumble, Ponyboy and Dally came back to the hospital, and Johnny died. A few weeks later, Ponyboy reads a letter that Johnny wrote him. In the letter Johnny explains how it was worth dying because the little kids were saved. They could live their lives. Johnny wrote, “Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for” (page 178). Johnny was known as a hero. He went from being a shy, quiet boy who was mistreated to a hero who risked his life to save others. Although Johnny died, he was okay with the way he did. The theme of change is certainly shown in
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.
In The Outsiders, written by S.E Hinton one of the main characters is Ponyboy. He is stereotyped as a greaser (a poor boy from the east side of town). Ponyboy accepts being a greaser and it affects him positively. Some people might stereotype Ponyboy as a hero and not a greaser.
Ponyboy and Sodapop Curtis are two brothers who face hardship in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, yet remain true to their noble hearts and commit honorable acts. Ponyboy, who is usually referred to as “Pony” by family and friends, is a fourteen year old boy who lives in a town that is divided by gangs. He has a light brown head of long hair and eyes that are green, though he wishes they could be grey. Ponyboy lives with his older brothers as their parents are dead. Socs and cops unfairly stereotyped him and other greasers as “hoods.” This causes violence and while walking home from the movie theater he is jumped by Socs. Ponyboy argues with his older brother Darry who is very strict and it often rough with him:
By looking at the incidents happened around Ponyboy and the changes of Ponyboy’s attitudes towards reality, we can see that Ponyboy has matured and learned the essence of solving problems, which most readers don’t see; this is important because it reveals the relationship between dreams and reality, that is cocooning from the world is not going to solve any problems, instead, only through facing the reality could we regain lost courage and break the obstacles.
Don’t judge people for their choices they make when you don’t know the options they had to choose from.” Before you have a perspective of somebody make sure you know their backstory. In the book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, there are two gangs called the Greasers and Socs. The Socs have more opportunity and the Greasers get less opportunities. The Socs and Greasers don’t go well together and they have many fights and disagreements with each other except for two people. Cherry, a Soc, and Ponyboy, a Greaser, talk to each other and make really good friends. S.E. Hinton is trying to show the reader that a person's perspective of another person is not always accurate. This is shown by Ponyboy and Cherry realize they are not that different and
“Sometimes we don’t get along with friends, but when we need a shoulder to lean on we know they will always be there.” In The Outsiders by S.E Hinton Ponyboy goes through some awful times during his fourteenth year, but he knew he always had his friends by his side. “ I’d never liked Dally, but then for the first time I felt like he was my buddy. And all because he was glad he hadn’t killed me.” Ponyboy was pleased he had Dally as his friend because without Dally saving him from the fire he could’ve died. In this quote Ponyboy and Dally didn’t get along with each other at first, but when Dally helped him he felt like Dally was his buddy. Ponyboy knows that Dally will always be by his side no matter what. At the end, we may not always agree with our friends but we know that they will cheer you up and care for you no matter
In the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Cherry is drown? to the Greasers for several reasons,including social expectations and peer pressure.The author writes, ” ‘Man your brother is one doll. I might have guessed you were brothers’ “(Hinton 23).This quote proves that Cherry has a relationship with the Greasers because she thinks ponyboy is a doll.She also thinks soda is a doll because she said pony looked like him,all the girls think that soda is a doll.The author writes,’’ ‘you two are too sweet to scare anyone’ “(Hinton 26).This quote proves that cherry has a relationship with the Greasers because she know how they act and who they are.Cherry thought that Pony and Johnny
If you read The Outsiders or watched the movie, you’ve probably wondered if Ponyboy should be sent to a Foster home or stay with his brothers. Well if you say Ponyboy should be sent to a foster home, this essay isn’t for you. This essay explains how Ponyboy should stay with his brothers and not in a foster home. One reason that he should stay is because they’re brothers and they have each others back. Another reason he should stay with his brothers is because he might have never had all the fun he does with his friends and brothers.
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
In the novel, Cherry chose her social status over friendship, which affected Ponyboy heavily. “ ‘If I see you in the hall at school… and don’t say hi...it’s not personal or anything, but…’ (45)”. Ponyboy takes offense to that comment, as he believes his being a greaser caused her to make that choice. “ ‘It was because we’re greasers… We could have hurt her reputation or something.’(47)”. Cherry did make that comment to Ponyboy because he was a greaser, but that was only because she had been taught it was how you treated people of lower social class. Cherry showed she did like spending time with Ponyboy by waiting in line with him to get refreshments at the drive-in movie and even opening up to him while they waited. This went against the typical social types.
Ponyboy doesn’t act like any regular greaser who is tough and likes to pick fights. Ponyboy cares about other people and will do things to benefit others. “I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I just went on picking up the glass from the bottle end and put it in the trash can. I didn’t want anyone to get a flat tire.” (pg. 172) Instead of leaving the
The Outsiders S.E. Hinton is about two gangs, the Socs and Greasers, who do not get along and are fighting each other as well as society. Both of the gangs are judged by their appearance, social status, and where they are from. One character that stands out in the story is Ponyboy because he is dynamic with many sides to his personality, and he is the protagonist of the story. Ponyboy can be described as sensitive, smart, and brave.