Identity is a substantial component of a person, it’s something that determines who they are and help establish themselves with people who you find enjoyable and shares similar interests. It could bring people together, and provide a sense of belonging and unity. However, there are times where these people who are within certain cliques are perceived more negatively or believe that all people within that group perpetually have a certain set of traits. In most cases, these negative perceptions lead to discrimination and conflict, and obscures the positive and more genuine traits of an individual. In S.E. Hinton’s book, The Outsiders, there are a group of poor and lower-middle class teens who are labeled as the greasers. This group of wild teenagers …show more content…
Johnny once was a teen who wasn't cowardly, and stood up for his gang. He was a good man in a rumble and kept his mouth shut around the police, but things changed when he was jumped by the Socs. The assault left him more anxious than ever, and ended up carrying a six-inch switchblade in his back pocket, despite that he was the most law-abiding of the gang. In addition, Johnny didn't do well in school, he had failed a year in school and never made good grades (Hinton 65). But even so, Johnny is more than a quiet, anxious kid who does poorly in school. Notably, when Ponyboy and Johnny were hiding in the church, the pair occasionally reads a book called Gone with the Wind in order to pass the time. While they were reading, Ponyboy remarked, "It amazed me how Johnny could get more meaning out of some of the stuff in there than I could--- I was supposed to be the deep one... and I guess his teachers thought he was just plain dumb. But he wasn't. He was just a little slow to get things, and he liked to explore things once he did get them" (Hinton 65). This shows that he is able to comprehend the message and/or significance of a story or concept, albeit it takes him a long period of time. Although he was high-strung, quiet, and seemingly believed to be dumb by his teachers, Johnny is, in truth, quite reflective and …show more content…
Hinton's book, The Outsiders, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally have something more to their individuality than their representative characteristics. Ponyboy demonstrates his thoughtful and dreaminess from his love of books, movies, and sunsets- which sets him apart from the rest of his gang. Johnny Cade also differs from the assumptions from his teachers at school, as he demonstrates his thoughtfulness and interest in new things while reading Gone with the Wind and figuring out the meaning of Robert Frost's poem, Nothing Gold can Stay. In a like manner, Dallas, a rough and dangerous delinquent who happens to be dearth of any love for someone or something, shows a softer side of his character when Johnny is in need of help after the accidental killing of Bob Sheldon. In short, readers should consider that the assumptions and stereotypes that ties with their identity doesn't truly make up your genuine self. Even if it the negativity seems too concealing, it shouldn't obstruct their dreams and aspirations. Moreover, Readers should also keep in mind that not all people are the person who they appear to be, and not all negative depictions are true for all
Johnny began as a scared teen from a bad family and the wrong-side of the tracks. Ponyboy is describing the members of the gang, specifically Johnny, when he states, “And Johnny, who was the most law-abiding of us, now carried in his back pocket a six-inch switchblade. He’d use it, too, if he
Understanding identity is not as easy as some people think. In the average lifespan of 71 years, numerous events can impact the outcome of of an individual’s life. Choices, religion, and many external factors can greatly influence a human and his or her identity. Some people believe that feelings can and do determine your identity, so they do whatever they feel is correct. However, this is false. Identity is very strongly influenced by the events, objects, and people around. It is mostly influenced by external factors. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is, without a doubt, incredibly influenced by the external factors around him, such as Sherry Valance, the rumble between the Socs and the Greasers, and when his best friend passes away.
Most people in the world are misunderstood at some point in their life. However, if other people’s perceptions of a person create a reputation, it can camouflage their real traits. Dallas (Dally) Winston is a victim of this. A character in the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Dally is commonly known for being a tough ruthless guy who doesn’t care about anybody but himself. He’s a great fighter and is very confident, but because of his past, it seems his real qualities have been masked. Even though Dallas Winston’s friends misunderstood him to be a cold-hearted and tough person, his experiences and how he treats his friends reveals his loving, self-reliant, and dependable nature.
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
The humans’ nature is always following other people without thinking. People are afraid to be different from others. When some people or some groups of people trying to be unique and different like the Hippies people will think they are disgusted. This is because power of conformity is very strong in the society. In every big city or even small town influence of the conformity were shown up. In The Outsiders, conformity is everywhere in this small town which is located in the south of U.S. Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this story are all about Greasers and Socials. The conformity in this story is showed up by the symbols that are described personality and social class of the characters in the story. In this story the conformity shows up mostly by the symbol.
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.
The Novel The Outsiders reveals that it is the “real” and “raw” moments the define an individual as human. In these moments of authentic and selfless love the attributes of individual become more definitive then social class, or reputation. Through examining Dallas Winston and his love for Johnny and Randy’s emotional encounter with Pony boy Hinton’s most haunting and enduring argument become evident, that self discovery imposed by love and loss has no sides but the outside.
Despite today’s societal beliefs of reaching maturity at the age of eighteen, coming-of-age generally describes various religions that signifies an individual’s transition from childhood to adulthood. S.E. Hinton’s young adult fiction, The Outsiders, describes the life of fourteen-year-old Ponyboy Curtis, the main protagonist, in his internal struggle towards an identity other than one marked by his gang, the greasers. He lives with Darrel “Darry”, his oldest brother who holds all of the responsibility ever since their parents died and Sodapop, his older, easygoing brother in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the midst of a gang rivalry between the greasers, an East Side gang known to be poor trouble makers, and the Socials “Socs”, who are known to be the rich and commendable of the West-side of town,
Have you ever wondered how the 1960’s was like? Would you have been fearful, jovial, or melancholy? In the book, The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton the main character Ponyboy Curtis lives with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry, and is involved in a gang called the “greasers.” Ponyboy realizes what it is to be a kind person instead of being violent, he is always on top of his studies and is very observant of others.
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.
Ponyboy said he would be dead if he didn't have the gang members. Johnny is the youngest in the gang. He was jumped by Socs and was seriously injured that he almost died. He had psychology impact on the Socs, he would shiver and be frighten whenever he sees a Soc. On the day he left with Ponyboy, they met a group of Socs. Since the Soc called Bob almost drowned Ponyboy to death, he killed Bob. Johnny admired Dally a lot. He wishes Dally could be proud of him for even just once. He wanted to be as tough and cool as Dally but he never succeeds. Johnny was kicked out of school and that was how Ponyboy thought he wasn't clever. Sometimes Johnny understood things better than Ponyboy in the book which was called Gone with the Wind. Johnny had the interest and talent in reading books but no one in the gang except Ponyboy was good enough to talk about these. He wasn't really close with Ponyboy before they ran away together so they didn't have a talk. Johnny also loved to watch sunsets and sunrises but no one in the gang could have spared time to watch or even talk about this. All Johnny couldn't express mad him alienated from the gang members. The only one he was close to was Dally. Dally cared for his all time and would risk his life for whatever happens on Johnny. Such as lending a gun or killing a Soc. Dally wouldn't hesitate as long as it was for
Have you ever thought about what it might be like to be an outsider? The Outsiders is a story written by S.E. Hinton, in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the Mid 1960s. All of the characters involved in this story are in a stereotypical conflict between the rich and poor, the Socs and the Greasers. One central and essential character in this story is Ponyboy. Ponyboy is a character who is at a young age, starting to grow up and is finally starting to realize what life is really about. The protagonist of this story gets into some trouble as he and his friend Johnny kill a Socs and are running away from home. Just as they thought they were going to get caught for murder, they end up being heroes by saving eight kids’ life from a burning church. By doing that, Pony lost some of his close friends. At the end of the story, Ponyboy realizes that life is not about being a Greaser or a Soc. Emotions are the only thing separating the two gangs. He is a round character as he has many different sides to his personality and a dynamic character as he grows up throughout the novel. Foreshadowing happens when Ponyboy has a dream about a funeral going on; just a little while after that Pony lost two close friends, Johnny and Dally. An internal conflict happens to most of the characters, Pony’s internal conflict is that he does not know if his brother Darry loves him or not. Smart, scared, and sensitive are three words that describe Ponyboy.
He was only 20, but he never really got to know what that was like. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the mid 1960’s. In addition, conflicts between two gangs were on the rise and the Curtis family was stuck in the middle of it. The main character Ponyboy Curtis had had two older brothers Sodapop and Darrel “Darry” Curtis. Darry happened to stand out because of his father figure presence in this novel. He had to grow up when he was only 20 years old. Both of Darry’s parents had died in a car wreck, forcing him to take on the responsibilities of his two younger brothers. Darry is a responsible, caring, and a prideful young man.
There are three main things that influence a character. They are the environment the character is in, the people the character interacts with, and the experiences that the character goes through. The identity of a person or a character is never complete. The identity will just continue to grow as you grow as a person. The experiences, people, and environment will continue to change your identity as you go through life. Even if a character in a book is deceased their identity can still be growing because the other characters may find things that change their perspective on a person. Someone will always grow as a person which will change their identity. Authors can reveal identity in many different ways. An author can tell you all about that person in the beginning of the book. A person can go from a happy person to a depressed person because of experience, or the environment they're exposed to. Another way that an author can reveal a character's identity is through objects that they have or things that they wrote on. An author can also reveal a character in a book =through the actions that they make or even the people that they are friends with or interact with on a daily basis. My own identity is quite similar and different to Johnny Cade in the book The Outsiders.
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.