Essay On Violence In The Outsiders

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Violence: Bullying, Abuse, and Suicide 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 …show more content…

Naturally it does not take long for the Socs to ascend on him and attack. Ponyboy is lucky that his friends arrive in time to save him from any real injury. However the implication for long-term bullying is the probability for retaliation will grow, as was discovered in 1999 when two young men walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and shot thirteen people amid allegations of bullying (Ericson, 2001). According to The American Association of Psychologists, it is reported that there are over 160,000 students that miss school due to fear of bullying each day in the U S (as cited in Levinson & Levinson, 2005). Just as Johnny began to carry a ‘blade’ as a means of protecting himself it is believed that harassment and bullying have been linked to as many as seventy-five percent of recent school shootings (Robers, Kemp, Rathbun, Thomas, & Morgan 2005). The violent events that transpire in the park when Ponyboy and Johnny are accosted by the Socs are violent and harshly realistic. Ponyboy’s held under the water desperately close to being drown when he is suddenly released and Bob is

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