Character Analysis: The Outsiders

In the novel The Outsiders by S.E. HINTON the main character Ponyboy’s identity changes multiple times over the text. In the beginning of the story Ponyboy was introduced as a greaser, a greaser is someone who is usually poorer than the middle class and like to screw around and start gang fights and they are considered hoods as stated on pages 2-3, “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 almost like hoods.” this shows that even though the Socs are much more wild the greasers are still considered the bad crazy hood people. Ponyboy didn’t like being a greaser

In the book, The Outsiders a character, Johnny Cade starts off by his character traits being afraid, but throughout the novel, Johnny turns into an upstander person who had the courage to conquer a person from the Socs gang because they were threatening him with drowning his good friend, Ponyboy. Johnny’s friendship with Ponyboy was close but in the end, Johnny didn’t necessarily change that much despite his actions but, Ponyboy’s understandings of him improved in a good way.

The Outsiders was about the greasers and the Socs. The Socs always jump the greasers, one day Johnny fights back, he ends up killing Bob. Johnny and Ponyboy run away to a church and hide until Dally comes and gets them. They then see the church was burning, Ponyboy and Johnny run into it to save the kids inside. Johnny and Dally get injured, Ponyboy is okay. The greasers win the rumble, the Socs will stay out of the greasers territory, Johnny passes away from his injuries, Dally robs a store, the police shoot him, and he does not survive the shots. In the end Ponyboy decides to regather his life and he starts with writing his theme for his ELA class. The book The Outsiders book, the better version, was published in 1964 and written by S.E.

Have you ever had two friends that are enemies? In the story, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, Cherry Valance (her real name is Sherri) is a fashionable, fiery, red headed, emotional, understanding, and trustworthy friend. The story took place in the mid 1960’s in Tulsa, OK. Greasers and Socs are two very different, yet same groups, which most definitely do not get along. After Ponyboy and Johnny got jumped, Johnny killed Bob, a Soc who was also Cherry’s boyfriend. During Ponyboy and Johnny’s hiding out in an abandoned church, the church starts on fire, while the children are playing in there. Johnny and Ponyboy somehow made their way back in to save the kids. Johnny and Ponyboy both made it out alive. Unfortunately, however, Johnny gets out with severe burns and a broken back. While he is in the hospital, Cherry has a conflict with herself: she is asked by Ponyboy to go see Johnny in the hospital, but she says no because she doesn’t want to face the person who killed Bob. In the time of the trial, Cherry and other Soc’s testify and come clean about the night of the stabbing. Consequently, since they told the truth, Johnny, Sodapop, and Darry all got to stay together. Cherry Valance is an emotional, caring, and trustworthy friend.

In the novel the Outsiders, “Let me fight Darry…” Ponyboy said, “I guess you can.” Darry responds. This shows that Ponyboy should go to the system. If Darry would not let Ponyboy go to the fight, than it would make him a better guardian. On page 135 of the novel Outsiders, Ponyboy is telling Darry to let him fight, and Darry agrees to letting Ponyboy fight. After the rumble Ponyboy got a concussion for fighting for fighting with the socs, therefore Ponyboy is better in the system. Someone else might argue that fighting would help Ponyboy if he ever needed self defence. Ponyboy is better off with the system, because the system won’t let him smoke and Ponyboy would not get hit by Darry.

As a person goes through their life, they encounter many choices and options. The most obvious ones are what they will wear, eat, or do for each day of their life. Everything that they do, even the most simple decisions, can and will impact them and who they are as a person. This will become a part of their identity. However, as the social beings humans are, their identities can be effected by those around them, virtually and physically. Most especially, every person’s identity is affected by the opinions and thoughts of others which can be expressed online, through verbal comments, and body language. This causes each person to question themselves and attempt to view themselves from the eyes of others. And when people question their identities

When the world we live in is viewed from an anonymous, unbiased standpoint the individuality of ‘I’ has a tendency to diminish away and be replaced by a society of eyes. Who view one’s identity differently then what the individual can see. Life moves on whether we like it or not and how individuals view themselves verses how others perceive them can leave a lasting impression. Everyone has a unique identity and perspective of the world they live in. The way individuals see themselves may appear to be different than what others see in them because of different values, morals and characteristics that shape’s ones identity.

According to Cherry Valance, it wasn’t easy being a Soc. Despite the money and the cars, “Things are rough all over.” In chapter two, Ponyboy Curtis and Two-Bit Matthews are walking Cherry and Marcia home from the drive-in. And Cherry says to Ponyboy, “‘I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs.

According to Keri Russell,“Sometimes it’s the smallest choices that change our lives forever”. I believe this quote means that you should always be careful of your choices because, any small mistake can ruin your life. This quote relates to the novel, The Outsiders, because there are many choices in the book that change our whole perspective about certain characters. No matter how somebody looks, treat someone like you would yourself, unless you have a reason to treat them otherwise.

“Being different doesn’t make you an outsider. It makes you unique and makes you stand out while looking into an unchanged world.” -Ayjee Grogan. Outsiders are people who do not fit in with their crowd. In The Outsiders, each character has conflicts that test who they are, but some are tested more than others when it comes to understanding themselves. Each character in the outsiders are outsiders in their own way. Three outsiders, who grow emotionally throughout the book, are Darry, Cherry, and Ponyboy.

THE OUTSIDERS: Choose one character in the story and consider how he or she compares to a real person that you know [ANALYSIS]

The prompt I chose for this assignment is to rewrite a chapter from a different character’s point of view. I chose to do this prompt because rewriting chapter four in Johnny’s point of view would give a better description before the events that occur after. This chapter is the start of when Johnny and Pony had run away to the old church. It is also the start of when their worlds are completely changed. This chapter starts things that have many significant meanings throughout the book. It started a chain of events that shaped The Outsiders.

In the novel “The Outsiders” Cherry goes through social difficulties, debating between losing her social status for good friends, or keeping her popularity, and continue her original loveless life. Cherry is drawn to the Greasers because she finds them to be more of a real friend group, compared to her So’s. She is socially trapped when she is with the Soc’s, but when she is with the Greasers, she feels that she can show her true self, and not have to worry about her appearance. Cherry is with Bob because she is expected to have a rich, well off boyfriend, it is not because she likes him. Secretly she threatens to fall in love with Dally because he is everything she wants to be, and represents everything that she cannot have.

Identity isn’t as certain as we sometimes make it out to be. Sometimes people suppose so because they are uneducated. Also, such certainty can arise strictly from the way we talk. The way individuals talk can lead to people developing twisted concepts of personal identity. It is weird to think but people exist in the same way that countries or teams

in society many people try to hide theoer true idenoty. they use other people pictures , dress like others , and try to live their lifestyle. To impress others , or simply hide the pain they face with theor own ideniity. for example, the tv show catfish. people use others identity to impress others ansd to feel better about themselves. They feel as if they couldn't get what they want with their