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What is it like to be judged based on what other people think and say about you, but not by who you really are? If you can imagine what it’s like, you certainly know how the characters in The Outsiders, by Susan Eloise Hinton feel. Her book tells us a story about two gangs, different social classes, and enemies living in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1960s. The city is divided into two parts; Greasers live in the East side and Socs live in the West side of Tulsa. Greasers and Socs don’t get along and they argue and fight a lot. However, despite all their differences, they are the same in at least one way. Both gangs have to face prejudice and our judgemental society. Ponyboy, who is a Greaser, and Bob, a member of the gang Socs, both have proved …show more content…
Society generally thinks of greasers as the rebellious poor kids with greasy long hair and no education. However, the Greasers, especially Ponyboy, are caring and, as the story comes to it’s end, they “turn out to be heroes” (page 90). For instance, at the beginning of the book society sees greasers as the poor lower class. Their opinion changes when Ponyboy and his friend Johnny, who is also a Greaser, run into a burning church to save some children that were playing inside. Both of them go to the hospital. Johnny is forced to stay because he is in a critical condition and Ponyboy stays in the hallway waiting for his brothers. On page 81 one of the teachers that were with the children says, “Mrs. O’Briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven. Or are you just professional heroes or something?” In other words, society never expected any members of the gang to do something heroic and brave that would not benefit them in any way. But they exceeded society’s expectations and proved to them that people should not be judged just by label that someone gave them. Even though Ponyboy is supposed to be the tough Greaser, how everyone expected him to be, he is actually very sensitive. This can also be proven on page 152 when Johnny says in his letter, “Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep it that way. It’s a good way to be.” Both, Ponyboy and Cherry like sunsets. This part of the book illustrates that people have …show more content…
Socs are the main enemies of the Greasers, and they live in the West side of Tulsa. Society thinks of Socs as the rich, kind kids, with modern and expensive cars and clothes, and no serious problems. Even though it is true that Socs are rich, the story illustrates that even people from the upper class are not always kind and better than people from the lower class. As the story proceeds, we get to know that their lives may not be as flawless as they might have seemed before. For instance on page 98 Cherry tells Ponyboy that “He kept trying to make someone say ‘No’ and they never did. The never did. That was what he wanted. For somebody to tell him ‘No.’ To have somebody lay down the law, set the limits, give him something solid to stand on. That’s what we all want, really.” To put it another way, society expected Socs to have very calm life without any problems. However, as the story comes to its end, we see that Socs have problems too. Their problems are different than the ones that people from lower class have, but they can still make a person miserable. In this case, Bob wanted someone to set boundaries for him, and to tell him where to stop and how to behave. As the book illustrates, people can exceed our expectations and show us how wrong it is to judge people by what society tells us about them instead of getting to know
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
First of all, Socs and greasers have a stereotype, Socs have Mustangs, Madras, and leather jackets; Greasers have greasy hair. These clues show that they are a group and do everything together. When Ponyboy said “Our hair labeled us greasers, too – it was our trademark. The one thing we were proud of. Maybe we couldn't have Corvairs and Madras suits, but we could have hair” (Hinton 71) This line in the book illustrates that what they have in their
In the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy, along with his brothers and friends, has to face the daily struggles of being a greaser among the Socs. This fiction book focused on Ponyboy’s life and the problems he ran into with the Socs. He and his gang of friends had fights with the Socs that happened often, and had to deal with a Soc being killed by one of the Greasers, though it was an act of self defense. The three topics addressed in this intriguing novel are the fight between rich and poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.
The book The Outsiders is the realistic story about this between two very different groups in a town in the United States: the poor Greasers from the east side, and the Socs, whitch is what the greasers call the socials, the richer boys from the other side of the town. Ponyboy Curtis is the narrator of the story, a 14-year-old boy who lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Soda. He is a pretty good athlete and student, but is not treated the same as the richer students at his school. Ponyboy uses to have long hair that he greases back, a symbol of being in the outsider gang. He is unhappy with his situation, because Darry is too protective of him and he always has to be afraid of Socs attacking him.
In 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...
One reason that the Greasers are a disgrace to society was because of their looks. From just looking at them you could tell that they meant mischief. Greasers were not the average group of kids; they were hoodlums. When speaking of how the townspeople viewed Greasers, Ponyboy says, "But most looked at us like we were dirt"(15). Greasers wore their hair long, dressed in blue jeans and T-Shirts and left their shirttails out and wore leather jackets, and tennis shoes or boots. They are below middle class and look like they are always trying to steal something, due to
Greasers were the lowest among the society. The society had negative thoughts towards Greasers, because there were not many things people expected from the Greasers other than doing bad things such as stealing, having rumble, and other bad things that happened around the society. Not every Greaser does bad things, however, the Greasers took the blame for anything bad even if it was the Socs fault. It is because everyone expected the Greasers to do bad things instead of the Socs. Even though the Greasers had a bad reputation, they didn’t care, but instead they enjoyed their lives. Sometimes the Greasers do bad things but only for fun and because it was the society’s expectations. If the Greasers did something good, no one would expect or believe the Greasers did it. No one would ever expect the Greasers to be heroes, just like the man whose kids were saved by Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dallas. “’Mrs. O’Briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven. Or are you just professional heroes or something?’ Sent from heaven? Had he gotten look at Dallas? ‘No, we’re greasers.’” (Page...
In the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, the lower-class, known as the Greasers, and the upper-class, known as Socs, deal with the animosity and daily struggles they have with each other. The novel focuses on the struggles and experiences with being an outsider to society and coping with the rich side of town through Ponyboy’s eyes. His life changes when tensions rise and many tragic things happen to the Greasers and Socs that will create agony in many but heroes in a few. The three topics addressed in this compelling novel are the fight between the rich and the poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.
After all, they are the “out” group— the clique that society condones. Ponyboy, the protagonist, also identifies himself as part of them. While reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, he felt Pip, the main character reminded him of the greasers–”the way he felt marked lousy because he wasn’t a gentleman or anything, and the way that girl kept looking down on him” (Doc B). Greasers are lookeed down opon in society becuase they aren’t rich, and the image associated with them is negative. They are believed to be a general menace to society; people think they all steal stuff for kicks, attack innocent bystanders for no reason, and are uneducated hoodlums. They are outsiders to society as a whole. Pony, no matter how smart or talented he may be, will always be treated as an outsider by the Socs just because he’s a
In S.E. Hinton’s book, The Outsiders, children born on the wrong side of town grow up to be juvenile, teenage hoods. In this book, these teenage delinquents are the Greasers, whose only "rival" is the Socials, or "Socs," as an abbreviation. The characters within The Outsiders unmistakably choose a remote. lifestyle of juvenile delinquency and crime. Ilanna Sharon Mandel wrote an article called, "What Causes Juvenile Delinquency?" This editorial presents many circumstances that can be applied to the main character, or protagonist, Ponyboy Michael Curtis and his brothers, friends, and neighbors. Their behavior may not always lead them to the right side of the law, but it is the cause of juvenile delinquency that gets them in. trouble.
Have you ever thought that Greasers have a preconcieved perception of Socs. Well, if so you are basically saying that what you have heard or a certain action is true to every Greasers and every Socs. In the story, “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton a reader's perception can change. In “The Outsiders,” a group of boys that live on the same side of town are considered to be Greasers. They are called Greasers because they are connected together based on their socioeconomic life, where they live, and how they live. Greasers have such a strong brothership and connection as stated in “The Outsiders.” The Socs are a group of boys who are the rich kids that live on the West side. Socs are regarded with being spoiled by their parents. The reader's perception of these two groups may fluctuate from a negative perception to a positive perception.
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 tries to act like other Greasers when he says, “ ‘I’ve had about all I can take from you guys.” I started toward them, holding the bottle the way Tim Shepard holds a switch- out and away from myself, in a loose but firm hold. I guess they knew I meant business, because they got into their car and drove off.” (Hinton 171) This shows that Ponyboy wants to act tough like the other Greasers because he knew that he was not as tough as the old as the other older members of the gang and just wanted to fit in since they are his only family ever since his parents died. Ponyboy feels that if he tries to act like other Greasers more, he would be loved and appreciated more by them. In addition, Two-Bit Matthews conforms to the Greasers when he says, “‘Shoot, everybody fights.’ If everybody jumped in the Arkansas River, ol’ Two-Bit would be right on their heels.” (Hinton 137) This shows that Two-Bit Mathews does exactly what everyone one does to fit in with them without his own judgement. Two-Bit fought with the rest of the gang because he did not want to be left out from the gang. Hence, most Greasers and Socs have the need to abide like the rest of the gang and not be an
Typically, greasers are depicted as people similar to hoods, as Ponyboy states, "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" (Hinton 4). Yet, even though Ponyboy is a greaser, he avoids getting into trouble for the sake of staying together with his family. He explains that, "I don't mean I do things like that... Since Mom and Dad were killed in an auto wreck, the three of us get to stay together only as long as we behave. So Soda and I stay out of trouble as much as we can, and we're careful not to get caught when we can't" (Hinton 4). Alternatively, Pony also enjoys activities such as reading and watching movies. Even simpler things, such as sunsets and clouds, are something he found beauty and enjoyment in. This sets him apart from the greasers because according to Pony, he states that, "And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do" (Hinton 3). Since nobody other than Ponyboy himself shares the enjoyment of these particular pastimes, which is drastically different from pursuits such as shoplifting and fighting in rumbles, Ponyboy is divergent from the standard attributes of the greasers. Therefore, Ponyboy is a thoughtful and dreamy individual who holds different interests and aspirations than the
Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders”, demonstrates how having both internal and external expectations impact the way you live and how you act on a day-to-day basis. In the text, the Socs and Greasers are put into roles with specific limitations, which impacted their lives accordingly. These standards for each group come from ideas relating to maintaining reputations. This could range from being the poor kids with turbulent, misfortunate lives to the wealthy kids who got to live a life of opportunity. In summation, the Greasers and the Socs dealt with conflicts that were related to living up to the expectations placed on them by the society they lived in and what they anticipated from