In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, there are many important themes, including recognizing the importance of family, understanding how social class can mold who you are as a person, and facing challenges. The main characters in the novel faced challenges due to their circumstances and social class. Through these challenges, they learned the importance of family and friends and had to make mature decisions. By the end of the novel, Ponyboy especially, had grown up staggeringly. Although Ponyboy has dealt with problems in his family and because of his low social class he matured throughout the novel. The main theme of The Outsiders centers around the importance of family. Ponyboy and his brothers made sacrifices for their family. Darry, the eldest brother, had a chance to go to college and be successful, but he chose to take care of his two brothers, Ponyboy and Sodapop. Family doesn't have to be blood. Johnny’s parents abused him, so he felt like the Greasers were more of family to him than his parents. The Greasers supported, protected, and looked out for Johnny. The Socs, who are the Greasers biggest enemies, turned to their gang for family too because the parents of the Socs only gave their children money and didn't take care of them. Society and class was another big theme in The Outsiders. Ponyboy was born into a low social class. His parents died, so he had to rely on his brothers and the Greasers. They were poor and had to work to get basic needs like food and water. Since the Greasers had a low social class they were looked down upon as trouble makers even when they were being helpful. When Ponyboy and Johnny saved children out of a burning church, it was written in the paper that juvenile delinquents had turned heros. The Socs on the other hand had money. They fancy cars like Mustangs and Corvairs and wore nice clothes. They were considered heroes even though they didn’t do anything heroic. They caused trouble in the neighborhood by throwing “beer blasts” and jumping Greasers. Society overlooked character due to social class. Social classes limit people too. Darry, a Greaser and Paul, a Soc had the same qualities to be successful and go to college. Darry however, was held back because
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was a fantastic novel that was popular among many teens, and it still is. The story revolves around two groups of teens: the Socs, who were the rich kids that live in the west side of the city, and the greasers, who are the tough, poorer kids that live in the east side of the city. The protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis, is a greaser. In the beginning of the story, he narrates that all Socs are cruel to Ponyboy and his friends and family. He thinks that only greasers have problems to deal with, not the Socs, but throughout the story Ponyboy learns an important lesson. He learns that people may appear to act in a way, but in reality they act differently. With his interactions with his greaser friends
The Outsiders illustrates the theme through the relationship of Ponyboy and Darry throughout the course of the book. In the beginning of the book, Darry slaps Ponyboy because he came home very late. This causes Ponyboy to run away from home with Johnny. Ponyboy tells Johnny, “‘He didn’t use to be like that...we used to get along okay...before Mom and Dad died. Now he just can’t stand me,’” (Hinton 51). This quote shows that Ponyboy is isolated from his brother. It shows how Ponyboy and Darry are drifting further apart from each other due to the death of their parents. Later on in the book when Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally are in the hospital, Sodapop and Darry come to see how they are all doing. When Darry and Sodapop see Ponyboy, they have a
In The Outsiders, a book written by S.E. Hinton, there are two polar opposite gangs, the socs and the greasers. The socs, who are high class, have mustangs and “tuff” cars and wear plaid clothing called madras. The Greasers, who are lower class, are known for their long and greasy hair, wearing leather jackets and being hoods. They only have each other and always have everyone’s back. No matter the situation like leaving a door open in case they need to run away from home because of an abusive dad , they can count on one another. Ponyboy, a 14 year old Greaser, who is also the protagonist, along with other characters lose themselves while trying to be someone else they’re not. Hinton teaches us that it is important to remember that individual
On April 24, 1967, S.E. Hinton published the book The Outsiders. Then sixteen years later director Francis Ford Coppola’s movie version of The Outsiders was released on March 23, 1983. The book is about a young boy named Ponyboy who lives with his two older brothers because his parents were killed in a automobile accident. Ponyboy goes through a lot of tough times because he is a part of this group known as the Greasers. The Greasers are a group that are known for being from the poor side of town and the Socs are the rich kids on the other side of town. Throughout the entire book the two groups kept fighting and then something terrible happened that changed Ponyboy’s life forever. The movie and book have many differences
The theme of The Outsiders is that everyone can rise above what others expect from them. This is relevant throughout the book when Johnny and Ponyboy save the kids from the burning church, when Randy doesn't want to fight or hate the Greasers anymore, and when Johnny stands up for Cherry and Marcia.
The Outsiders is a young adult novel written by S.E. Hinton. The book was first published in 1967 by The Viking Press. Today, the book is published under Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group. The book has a total of a hundred and eighty pages. The Outsiders fits in the genre of young-adult fiction because it relates to teens on emotional levels. Like Ponyboy, the teen protagonist of the story, teens relate to his emotional growth as he tries to piece his life together. The story follows a rivalry in a socially divided community. The Greasers are a gang of teenage boys who live on the east side of town; the wrong side of town. Their rivals, the Socials, better known as the Socs; come from the wealthier side of town. The two groups are always head to head with one another, seeking a fight. Ponyboy belongs to the Greasers. He is the youngest out of the three brothers in his family. Apart from his brothers, Ponyboy hangs out with Johnny, Dallas, Two-Bit and others who are also Greasers. The rivalry between the two groups heightens when Johnny kills Bob, a Soc, in an attempt to save Ponyboy from drowning. In this book report, I will go through the meaning of this book and my opinion on the story itself.
In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, embarks on a story of a young boy Greaser, his gang, the rivalry with the Socs, and how it all ended. The main theme of The Outsider was social class. Socs have wealth that helps them through life and their parents have enough money to do anything for them Greasers do not have an education, and that’s true because they don’t have enough money and the privilege to get a good education. On the other hand, Socs don’t have to worry about not having a bad education because they can afford an education. Although greasers can the opportunity to stop and smell the roses, Socs have everything in life needed, they don’t have the cherishable life they wish for. Hinton notifies, through the text, the main reason for the gang’s separation is because of their social class and expectations.
No matter where you go in the world people are divided. They can be divided by their wealth or state of living these are social classes. In the novel “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton social classes a very apparent the rich and the poor. In The Outsiders, social classes create a divide in the community. The isolation of these two groups lead to the tension and violence that is seen in the book.
The Outsiders is a Novel set in the 1960’s that explains the divide between people with similarities and differences. The book explains life as it was in the past, is in the present, and will be in the future. It talks about the rift between different people in society and their social classes. Every rift must try to be changed by someone for the benefit of society, and that person is exalted as a hero. There are many heroes in the outsiders, but the biggest hero is Ponyboy because he was empathetic to others, quick to think and act, and stands strong and moves forward to overcome challenging events in life that seem impossible to overcome.
In the story The Outsiders, there is many life lessons that could help many people. Ranging from the people you hang out with, to people who need your help. You should always treat people how you want to be treated,even if that means giving something up. The main character, Ponyboy, experiences certain events in the story that makes you realize that these kind of conflicts are a reality. Ponyboy lives with his two brothers, Darry and Soda. Their parents died in a car crash. Ponyboy never realized how much his parents did for him. There is a “Gang” that Ponyboy is involved in called the Greasers. Their rival “Gang” is called the Socs. The Socs are kids that have a better upbringing and are more of rich kids. The Greasers are basically the opposite. The theme of this story is don’t take the things you have for granted.
According to Frederick Douglass, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” Douglass spoke of the danger and issues of organization and separation by class, yet it is the scenario depicted in The Outsiders. The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel written by S. E. Hinton in the 1960s. In The Outsiders, the teenagers of a city are being ripped apart by a violent feud based solely on social class. The first group, known as the Socs, are the wealthy and popular. The second group is the Greasers, who are poor and viewed as the scum of the city. The
Have you ever noticed anyone in your life who is so special that they sparkle. Well, Ponyboy is that kind of person. Ponyboy is not only just tough and broad person, but he is also a very caring and sensitive person. Ponyboy is the definition of kind-hearted. I know this because for one, Ponyboy and Johnny saved all of the children in the burning church. Johnny and Pony also stuck up for Cherry when Dally was being disrespectful. Ponyboy stuck up for the Greasers when the SOC’s came by. The Outsiders is a novel placed in the 1960s created by S.E Hinton. This book is about the Greasers, a low-income teenage gang, fighting against the SOC’s, an upper class gang, both physically and mentally. During this book, multiple people die, including Ponyboy’s close friends, Johnny and Dally. Here are a few reasons why I believe Ponyboy is a caring person.
“The functions of intellect are insufficient and useless if you are without courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy,” says a quote by Dean Koontz. Throughout S.E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders, there are many themes that she conveys in the book as she narrates the experiences of a greaser named Ponyboy who is a member of the Social group (Socs). Ponyboy meets many people and witnesses many difficult situations throughout the book. This inspirational book teaches the reader crucial lessons that are very important for everyone, even if their lives are not anything like Ponyboy’s. Three important themes in the book include friendship, courage and empathy.
The theme in the outsiders was all about differences and enemies. Differences between two people or two groups shouldn't make them natural born enemies. The socs, and the greasers were both very different and all hated each other for most of the book, because they were different. For example the socs were considered "the lucky one with all the breaks" and the greasers were the "unlucky ones" meaning the socs were born to rich family's and got whatever they wanted, automatically making them socs and the outsiders were at the bottom without any money. some greasers had family problems, some didn't have family's, and some ran away and at the end they found each other and became more than just friends.
In addition, Hinton’s allocation of Ponyboy as the narrator aids the novel in being well-read through several eras. Readers observe his bildungsroman, much like teenagers from any generation will have to do in their own lives. Near the end of the novel he expresses his feelings about the Socs, saying, “Socs were just guys after all. Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too” (Hinton 118). Because it does not matter whether the adolescent reader comes from the same time period of the novel or from today’s society, this fictional journey is especially significant. Without the point of view of Ponyboy, The Outsiders would be a novel that may not shape an adolescent’s reading experience as significantly as it does; furthermore, another relevant literary device in use is symbolism.