Theme Essay - The Outsiders The Outsiders identified the 60’s, often there would be violence between groups and often involving a group’s social class. For instance, the tensions between the Socs and Greasers is violent, and this will lead to Bob’s death, Johnny’s death, as well as many injuries throughout both gangs. The book The Outsiders is written by S.E. Hinton and is portrayed through the eyes of a high school student in Tulsa, OK where S.E. Hinton grew up. Hinton began writing The Outsiders in 1965 at the age of 17 and the book was finally published in 1967 when she was 19. The difference in perspective upon the society and social class creates issues throughout The Outsiders and they assume the problems will be solved with violence, …show more content…
In The Outsiders, the Socs and Greasers are in a constant turf war between the East and West side of town, and this causes lots of verbal and physical altercations. Randy an emotionally distraught Soc pointed out, “You can't win, even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before--- at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing.” Randy is trying to say that no matter how hard they try no matter how bad someone gets beat it will still be the same after the fight as before the fight. Another example of violence within the gang was Dallas Winston, “Dally had spent three years on the wild side of New York and had been arrested at the age often. He was tougher than the rest of us--- tougher, colder, meaner...I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he Wanted.” Even though Dally was one tough guy, after so much exposure to violence and fighting, there came a breaking point for Dally where he could just not take it anymore. After Ponyboy walked home from the lot and a verbal argument began, “Darry wheeled around and slapped me so hard that it knocked me against the door...I turned and ran out the door and down the street as fast as I could.” When siblings fight, especially when it gets physical the consequences only get worse and
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.
The movie, The Outsiders, starts with the Curtis parents on their weekly, Saturday evening drive to the baking store to buy some ingredients for their boys’ favorite Sunday morning, breakfast treat: chocolate cake. The Curtis boys love their chocolate cake for Sunday breakfast not only because they love it, but also because they appreciate how hard their parents have to work to save the monies necessary for the morsels that put smiles on their faces!
Life is scarier than we think it is. We are always surprised by the unexpected and we don’t know what awaits us around the corner. The Greasers have been overwhelmed with the unexpected nevertheless they are ready, waiting anxiously for those miscalculations to occur. The most imperative and dominant themes that concoct S.E.Hinton’s The Outsiders are courage, social class and the importance of family and support.
Dally believes that if you become hard and tough like he has, then you will be your best self. Dally has known hardships all his life, and he responds to them by being cold and only looking out for himself. He believes that if Johnny was more like him, then he wouldn’t have injured and effectively killed himself. Dally expresses this to Ponyboy while driving to the hospital, saying, “‘You’d better wise up, Pony… you get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothing can touch you’” (147). Dally believes that being weak leads to pain and suffering. Conversely, Johnny believes that being young, emotional, and innocent is a good way to be. Johnny has experienced similar problems to Dally in his life, but instead of becoming cold and mean, he has become timid and emotional. Johnny even sacrificed his life to save a handful of children because he puts kindness and morality before his own safety. He tells Ponyboy this in a letter he wrote, saying, “I don’t mind dying… It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids… That’s gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be” (178). Johnny believes that staying “gold” and innocent is the best way to be. Dally and Johnny’s conflicting philosophies show that they have clear
On the outside he is tough and on the inside he is nice and caring. In other words Dally is judged by his physical appearance. On the inside he is nice and kind and caring but he is judged by tough and cool. “I was crazy, you know that kid? Crazy for wantin’ Johnny to stay out of trouble, for not wanting’ him to get hard. If he’d been like me he’d never would have run into that church. That's what you get for helping’ people.” (Hinton 147). This illustrates that Dally is judged or people have the perspective of Dally as being this muscular, cool and tough guy. But on the inside Dally is this soft-hearted, kind, and caring guy, Dally snapped when Johnny died. This illustrated that Dally really cared about Johnny and wanted him to live. This shows that when Ponyboy was watching Dally run out of the hospital, Ponyboy ‘s perspective of Dally completely changes. Ponyboy did not expect him to do this. Dally doesn’t let his stereotype define who he is of what other people think of him.
Violence is present throughout the pages of the novel. The Outsiders is a painful look at violence, including bullying, gang fights, abuse, and suicide. “Bullying has long been considered an inevitable and, in some ways, uncontrollable part of growing up” (Ericson, 2001, para. 1). Ponyboy describes Johnny as “a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times…with a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes” (Hinton, 1967, p. 11). Ponyboy explains that he was “jumped” by Socs and beaten to the point of unconsciousness, before being found by the other gang members. The affect this incident has on Johnny is as timeless as the novel itself. In fact, according to a report by the National Institute for
Dally was very frustrated when Ponyboy came home late and I think hitting him was the best thing to do to straighten him out. Dally is really hard on ponyboy because both of their parents died in a car accident and he feels to be the more mature one and needs to make him learn from his mistakes. Ponyboy shouldn’t of ran away because that was irresponsible of him and it might of even almost got himself killed. If Ponyboy never ran away he wouldn’t of started or been in the fire which led to Johnny's death. What I’m trying to say is that you should think before you respond because you don’t know the dangers that lie
In the book, “The Outsiders” author S.E. Hinton tells a dramatic story through the eyes of the main character, Ponyboy Curtis. This book took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1965. Ponyboy Curtis and his older brothers Sodapop and Darry live in the east part of town and are referred to as “Greasers” . The Greasers are in continual conflict with the rich kids who live on the west side of town, who are called the “Socs”. Since Ponyboy’s parents died, his older brother Darry takes care of Soda and him. The Greasers are almost like hoodlums, and they usually do not do well in school. But Ponyboy and Darry are both intelligent and have done well in school. Darry had the opportunity to go to college, but was not able to because he had to
“Stay gold Ponyboy stay gold.” A young boy said this while he was on his deathbed but who was it?
Sunsets are beautiful. It allows you to take a breath and reflect on both the roses and the thorns that life throws at us. It’s no wonder that the characters in this story loved and mentioned them so much. The novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a fictional story about two rival gangs in Oklahoma who may see the same beautiful sunset but still experience the world in different ways. The rivalry between the Greasers and the Socs become violent and Ponyboy Curtis is left behind to tell us about his story. We see how each character struggles with the challenges that come with being young and being trapped inside limiting social expectations. The theme that stereotypes do not always define who you are is developed in this story when Ponyboy
impeccable actors make for a great film. The Outsiders shines a light on the main flaws of society through the rough battle between Socs and greasers. Francis Ford Coppola directed this movie in 1983 as an adaptation of the novel. Coppola created an eventful, adventurous depiction of the difficult life in the lower class and the conflicts created. The violence and shocking events throughout the story contribute to the overall plot line, relating directly to the novel. Ponyboy was in danger and being drowned and Johnny stepped in to save him. Johnny had been the brave hero with the small ego during the first part of the story and this event surprised all. Soon after, Johnny and Ponyboy decide to run away with the help of Dally. Dally's true
At sixteen years of age, S. E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders, a fictional novel set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the year 1965. The story is told from the perspective of fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy, along with his two older brothers, and other friends, are Greasers. Greasers is a nickname directed towards people in the low-social class region. Those classified in the high-class category are called Socs, short for socials. The two groups tend to bear a great deal of clashing whenever they interact; Socs attack Greasers, Greasers fight back. One day, Ponyboy and a friend of his, Johnny Cade, are approached by a clique of Socs. During the brawl, someone attempts to drown Ponyboy. Johnny retaliates by stabbing a particular
The Outsiders is a book by S.E. Hinton from the perspective of a fourteen year old boy named Ponyboy and it illustrates two weeks in his life that changed him forever. The book opens with ponyboy as just a kid but throughout the entire book you see him change and follow along as he goes through his hardships and eventually perseveres through it all as a basically different person. The book is based around the theme of “Nothing, especially that which is perfect and beautiful, can last forever.” and it really shows in the parts where the poem “Nothing Gold can Stay.” by Robert Frost comes into play.
In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, there are negative effects that impact everyone in society. The three main negative effects in the story were violence, peer pressure, and stereotyping. These three effects still occur today and affect people all around the world. The novel helps us understand the consequences of these effects and how we can overcome these problems in society.
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.