Ponyboy became a better person as the book went on especially because in the beginning he was always accused of having no common sense and being different from the other greasers. Ponyboy had rough times throughout the book, but the way he overcame them made him the accepting, selfless and gold person he becomes by the end. Ponyboy Curtis always wanted to be tuff like the other greasers and to be able to fight like they do but he just isn't like them. He enjoys sunsets and is good at school, but the others rob stores and carry switch blades. Pony is very deep which makes him so accepting towards everyone. He hated the Socs because they jumped people and he was told to hate them, but when Randy and Ponyboy talked in Randys car, Pony felt sorry for Randy and realized that not all Socs were bad just like all Greasers weren't bad either. On page 116, from Ponyboys point of view, “Randy was supposed to be too cool to feel anything, and yet there was pain in his eyes.” Then on page 118 Two-BIt asked, “‘What’d Mr. Super-Soc have to say?’” and Ponyboy replied, “‘He ain’t a Soc, he’s just a guy. He just wanted to talk.’” This was a turning point in the story for Pony because since he was young enough still to have a changeable conception of people he saw Randy as a person instead of a Soc. Ponyboy is the one of the …show more content…
Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing can stay gold.’” When it says nothing can stay gold it is saying that innocence and goodness cannot last which is what Ponyboy feels until he visits Johnny right before Johnny dies. On page 148 Johnny’s last words are, “‘Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…’” Ponyboy realizes what he meant by this later on when he read Johnny’s letter. This makes Ponyboy turn himself around and get on the right path
People should have a conversation with someone and get to know them before judging them. Ponyboy changed the way he thought of the Socs. At first he thought of the Socs as thugs who enjoy jumping Greasers. He later learned that Socs have problems that Greasers don’t know of and not all Socs hate Greasers.
Did you know that living with foster parents doesn’t give you the same love than your real family. The is why Ponyboy should stay with Darry instead of the system. He would be better off with Darry. Darry has shown that he is a responsible guardian because he has two jobs so that Ponyboy could stay in school. “Darry worked on two jobs at once, made good at both of them, and his outstanding record at school…” This proves that Darry is an outstanding guardian. The foster parents don’t give them the same love as their family. On the other side darry cares about him more than other foster parents. Darry is a good guardian and watches out for Ponyboy. Ponyboy has good grades and likes to be on the track team, this is good for his health.
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
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.
The Socs were just trying to get under Ponyboy’s skin because he isn’t friends with them, and the Socs just want to get him mad. “Hey, grease. One said… We’re gonna do you a favor, greaser. We’re gonna cut all that long greasy hair off.” They threatened him for being a Greaser and this shows how they don’t like Greasers. The quote shows that Soc’s bully the greasers for being poor and having trashy hair. The Socs are basically just pestering and taunting him for no reason except for he’s not one of their kind and he’s poor and a
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
Ponyboy was described as sensitive and emotional for many reasons. One example is when Ponyboy, Darry, and Soda find out that Johnny may die. On page 102, Ponyboy says, “I was trembling. A pain was growing in my throat, and I wanted to cry, but greasers don’t cry in front of strangers.” Clearly, this shows that Ponyboy is emotional when it comes to losing people close to him. Another example is when he picks up the pieces of glass from the bottle he broke, to threaten the Socs. On page 171, Two-Bit tells Ponyboy that he is not like the rest of the Greasers, he isn’t hard or tough. Therefore, it shows that Ponyboy is caring and not as mean and hard as the rest of the Greasers. From these examples, it is clear that Pony is sensitive and softer than the rest of the gang.
Dally is mocking a Soc named Cherry, calling her ‘fiery’ and saying that’s how he likes girls. He then proceeds to put his arm around her, when Johnny, who idolizes Dally, stops him and says, “Leave her alone, Dally.” (Hinton 24) This dismisses two stereotypes about Johnny, that he is a ‘lost puppy’ who needs the rest of the group to defend him, and that Greasers shouldn't care what happens to Socs. This is significant because it shows Pony that Johnny is stronger than he thought before, and that he might be as caring and thoughtful as Ponyboy is. Later in the book, Randy, a Soc, is talking to Ponyboy about Bob, Randy's best friend who Johnny killed to save Ponyboy's life. Randy tells Ponyboy that all Bob wanted was for his parents to get him in trouble. Randy then dismisses the conversation about Bob by saying, “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I couldn't tell anyone else.” (Hinton 116) This is invalidating the stereotype that Socs and Greasers have nothing in common, and should hate each other. Randy and Ponyboy in particular, considering that Ponyboy was there the night Randy’s best friend died. This matters because it is showing that Socs and Greasers might be able to understand each other better than people within their own group, although they are stereotyped to be complete
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.
Ponyboy and others know subconsciously that they need to hammer away. Through dreadful living conditions, family issues, and the deaths of friends, they just chip away until they can’t no more. When the end is there in the distance they all lean on each other and support the others. Ponyboy and his family endure through the thick and the thin. S.E. Hinton shows this so perfectly and inspires the rest of the world to do so. At the end of the day, the reader can understand how important it is to persevere through
the beginning of the book chapter 1 Ponyboy went to the movies alone on the way home some greasers jump him and in the right moment his group members save him from getting beat.
Ponyboy meets three different Socs throughout the story and realizes that their label is not what it really means. Ponyboy figures out that Cherry Valance and Marcia Socs, or at least that is what their label is,is actually not a Socs their completely different people. Before Ponyboy met the two girls he thought they were just like other Socs girls. The type of girls who were obnoxious,rude,snobby and especially towards the people who didn’t have money like they did, mostly the Greasers. As Ponyboy got to know Cherry and Marcia more he saw that they were not those types of girls. The two girls were like any other normal and kind
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
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.