Gang Members: A Truly Destructive Lifestyle

‘The novel, ‘The Outsiders’ shows that being part of a gang can give you a sense of family and belonging’.

Gangs originated naturally during the adolescent years of a child. They started from small play groups that eventually found themselves in conflict with other small groups of youth. Due to the conflict between the two small groups of youth it became a part of a child’s mind set to come together as a gang and protect their rights and satisfy the needs that their environment and families couldn’t provide. There are about 24,500 gangs in the U.S and out of those gangs 40% of them are juveniles (Hess, Orthmann, Wright, 2013). There are numerous reason why a child would join a gang, and the

Furthermore, the book, Youth Gangs in American Society by Randall Shelden, Sharon Tracy, and William Brown (2013) discusses several theories about why people join gangs. One theory that I think especially fits the explanation as to why people join gangs, with regards to this book, is the control/social bond theory. Shelden et al define control/social bong theory as “when a youth’s, bonds or ties, to society are weak or broken, especially with family, school and other institutions, when this occurs, a youth is apt to seek bonds with other groups, including gangs, in order to get his or her needs met”(p 193). I think so many groups in society let this boy down in My Bloody Life, including his family, the school system and even the police. Consequently with his ties to society so weak, he reached out to a gang that gave him a sense of comfort and belonging.

Have you ever been so into a book you couldn't put it down? Well, if you enjoy a good book I suggest The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. The Outsiders starts in a small town, in this town there were two gangs the socs and the greasers. The socs were rich and lived on the north side, they all had nice cars and lots of money. On the other hand there was the greasers, they weren't as rich as the socs and didn't have as nice of cars, or houses, or even clothes.”Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs”(Hinton, ch. 7) Gangs are a huge problem in the US and in this book it shows it.

“The silence grew heavier, and I could hear the harsh heavy breathing of the boys around me. Still Darry and the Soc walked slowly in a circle” (Hinton, 143). The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a realistic fiction novel taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1966. The story informs the reader of a rivalry between two gangs, the Socials (Socs) who are the rich people that have nice cars, clothes, and have a bright future ahead of them. The Socs live on the West side. The Greasers are the other gang who weren’t rich, weren’t known to have bright futures and always had grease in their hair, hence the name Greasers. Throughout the story many themes have been applied to our society today. Two themes that I have chosen were that loyalty is a thread that holds people together and to not judge people based on how society labels them.

The novel and movie The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, is about a boy, Ponyboy Curtis, and his struggles. Hinton writes about two gangs: the Socs and greasers. Ponyboy is labeled a greaser because of his lack of wealth and popularity. When his friend, Johnny, murders a Soc to save Ponyboy’s life, they flee from town and hide in an abandoned church. This event brings many stereotypes that greasers are cruel people and hoods. There are many themes in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, although one is stronger than the rest: injustice is caused by money, status, and circumstance.

Most gangs have a rite of passage before a person can be considered part of the gang family. So why do people want to affiliate themselves with a gang? Monotony, poverty, lack of schooling, these are some of the issues that children and adults face daily in the city of Chicago. A child that comes from a shattered home (parents are divorced, one parent maybe in jail) faces certain socioeconomic struggles early on in life. Gangs offer a family structure, and lead them to believe that if affiliated, they will always have a family they can be contingent on.

The novel The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, gave a realistic portrayal of teenage slum life along with depicting common themes such as loyalty and crime; in fact, the gangs of Tim Shepard and Ponyboy Curtis had their similarities and differences. First of all, the most apparent difference between the two gangs is their structure. Ponyboy stated that “the difference between his gang and ours---they had a leader and were organized” (Hinton 146). This shows how the two gangs were dissimilar because Ponyboy’s gang was composed of friends who looked out for each other. Moreover, Tim’s gang was unalike Ponyboy’s gang because of their nature. Ponyboy knew that “Shepard’s gang were used to fighting with anything they could get their hands on ---bicycle

The main gangs in the Outsiders are the Greasers and the Socs. They have their differences and their similarities. The greaser act the same as all of the other greasers. And the Socs all act the same and dress the same as the other Socs. The gangs in this book can get really violent. They go from punching each other to attacking each other with blades. A blade is kinda like a knife and a pocketknife in one. It seems like being a part of a gang can be rough.

Juveniles often join gangs to be accepted into a society of their peers. These juveniles are looking for acceptance and a sense of belonging. They join these gangs for special status amongst their friends, protection from other gangs, financial help, peer pressure, excitement and for some juveniles, they are born into a gang society and it is a family tradition. Gangs can also act like a family. They will praise, chastise and show them a form of love and respect that they are looking for but cannot get at home.

In addition they might live in an area where there is gang activity. When joining, they get full protection in an attack. The gang also like fellowship and brotherhood, they like to extend the family and the gang has some relatives that belonged into a gang. They might also join because of intimidation: where they were forced to join a gang where they have to contribute in gang activities, and some join to intimidate others in the community, while not getting involved with gang activity. The last and final reason is criminal activity they get profit, and protection when involved in gang activities.

In the novel The Outsiders, by S.E.Hinton.This novel describes gang struggles and the psychological growth of gang members. The novel describes two opposing gangs: the story of Greaser and Socs.In the novel, “The Outsider”look’s like greaser ,but I think it’s talk about both gangs,because no matter how they have chivalrous, how to save the children from the church, they still can not get the slightest sympathy and respect of society

? The Gang: a study of 1313 gangs in Chicago,? identified gangs by the process that they go through; ? The gang is an interstitial group originally formed spontaneously, and then integrated through conflict. It is characterized by the following types of behavior: meeting face to face, milling, movement through space as a unit, conflict, and planning. The result of this collective behavior is the development of tradition, unreflective internal structure, esprit de corps, solidarity, morale, group awareness, and attachment to a local territory,?

Gangs. This is what is portrayed in SE Hinton 's novel, The Outsiders. Two different gangs from opposite ends of the social ladder clash in this epic novel of social tension between two rival groups, the Socs and the Greasers. The main character, 14-year-old Ponyboy, is a Greaser who lives under the cycle of poverty and endless pressure from the Socs. They are the upper class Westside crowd who are accepted in society. The Greasers, in contrast, struggle to put food on the table and are social outcasts. SE Hinton has mentioned about gangs several times in her novel. But what really defines a gang? According to some, it is, "A group of young people who spend time together for social reasons." While others define gangs as, "A group of people

Gangs have direct effects on a society, such as increased levels of crime, violence and murder. Gangs also have long-term or late suggestions in that gang members are more likely to drop out of high school, struggle with unemployment, abuse drugs and alcohol or in end up in jail. These factors not only contribute to the gang members, but they also force taxpayers to pay for welfare and community-assistance programs. Common reasons for the younger generation to join gangs, include trying to find a place where they belong and sharing in mutual desires for safety from family problems or life challenges. Together, the feelings and attitudes among gang members haze them to act violently, often self-contradictory with rival gangs. This violence leads to injury and death of not only members but also of bystanders in the community. High gang activity also causes fear among community members, discourages business activity and obstructs home-value appreciation. Communities, also must pay for higher levels of law enforcement when gangs are prominent.