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The Outsiders Essay Response

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The Outsiders: Essay Response Demonstrate how the major events that take place in The Outsiders affect the values and attitudes of 3 main characters. The 1967 novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is about the social outcasts; the Greasers and their rivalry against the high class Socs. In the beginning of the book the characters values and attitudes are revealed to the reader through the point of view of Ponyboy. As the book progresses and the lives of the characters take a turn for the worse there is a significant impact on the characters resulting in an alteration of their values and attitudes. Ponyboy, Dally and Johnny experience these changes due to the death of Bob the Soc and the chain of events that follow. Ponyboy is the …show more content…

This causes Dally to become reckless and finally ending in him being killed by the police, Ponyboy tells the reader “Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted.” (p.187). From this the reader can gather how the events had modified Dally, creating a more emotional and caring character, weakening his value for himself and in return, strengthening his value for others. It’s obvious to the reader that Dally values violence, by the way he resorts to it to solve his problems, this value is reinforced because of the major events that take place in the novel. Through the actions Dally takes in The Outsiders, it seems that he enjoys engaging in violence. This is shown when he uses a switch blade to leave the hospital and fight in the rumble, even though his arm is still damaged. This is shown when Dally enthusiastically says to Pony, “Talked the nurse into it with Two-Bit’s switch. Don’t you know a rumble ain’t a rumble unless I’m in it?” (p.175). This attitude towards violence is only reinforced due to the death of Johnny, because of this Dally robs a store and in the end is killed by the police because of him pulling a gun on them. It’s revealed by Ponyboy that Dally’s gun was unloaded and that he has it to help a bluff (p. 186). Ponyboy also goes onto tell the readers, “He died violent and young and desperate.” (p. 187). It’s obvious Dally’s value for violence is reinforced due to the major events that took

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