The Outsiders An outsider is defined as “a person who does not belong to a particular group.” In the book, The Outsiders, many of the characters can be described as being an outcast from the social society. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Cherry are outsiders in this novel because none of them really fit into the groups that they’re “supposed” to be in. In this novel, Ponyboy Curtis is an outsider from society and his gang. He feels as if he is an outsider from society because he is a part of the social class named The Greasers. The Greasers are the hoodlums and freaks of the town. One quote that supports this theory is, “It’s okay...we aren’t in the same social class. Just don’t forget that some of us watch the sunset too.” Pony says this to Cherry …show more content…
Even in his own home, he doesn’t feel right. A quote about him from page twelve that shows this is, “His father is always beating him up, and his mother ignored him, except when she was hacked up at something…” Both Johnny’s mother and father abuse him. His mother makes sure he knows that he isn’t wanted, and Johnny’s father likes to use him as a punching bag. He is also seen as an outsider in the Greasers. On page twelve, he is described as, “Johnny Cade was last and least...” and “He had a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes.” This means that out of all the Greasers, Johnny Cade is the smallest, most cautious, and most of all, afraid. With the title “The Outsiders,” S.E. Hinton is trying to say that everyone feels like an outsider in their own way, no matter what you see on the outsider. In using this title, Hinton is referring to many different characters, but for the most part she is talking about Ponyboy and how he feels. When the readers read this book, she wants them to remember that you’re not alone, and that everyone feels like an outsider in their own way at some point. Many characters in this book feel as though they are alone, when all of them are self conscious and afraid of
An ‘outsider’ relates to a person who is ostracised, who does not belong to a particular group and is unaccepted. Director-writer Amy Heckerling portrayed several characters such as Tai and Cher as the outsider in her film in the same way S.E Hinton manifest Ponyboy Curtis and the gang, Greasers as the outcast of her novel ‘The Outsiders’. The Outsiders is a successful exploration and understanding of people who are unlike
The Outsiders, a coming-of-age novel, written by S.E. Hinton who was a teenager at the time of writing is firmly based upon groups of teenagers divided amongst their social classes. The novel takes on the rival battles of the Socials and the Greasers.
“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.” The Outsiders is a book written by S.E. Hinton about Ponyboy’s life as a greaser. He is in a gang and his gang goes through life together.
The Outsiders is a thrilling, filled with drama book, that will make your jaw drop when you read it. At the start of the book, Ponyboy is at a movie theatre in Oklahoma, walking home. Through the course of the book, the setting changes drastically. The setting could also be at the Curtis’ house.
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.
Hinton chose the title of her book to be The Outsiders because the main character Ponyboy does not fit in with the Socs or the Greasers because of his performance in school, his family life, and disinterest in fighting, but Hinton wants the reader to understand that it is okay to be an
Most people strive to belong, to be someone or part of something important. People all around you experience different ways of belonging, such as cliques or social class. Others who are excluded, are simply left as outsiders, forced to make up their own groups, maybe just because of where they live, how much money they have, and the items they have and do not have. This is the case in author S.E. Hinton’s prominent novel The Outsiders. Within this well known book is a 2 week story of 14 year old Ponyboy, as he learns to mature in his rough, poor, East side neighborhood while also dealing with most of the rich, stuck up, West side kids known as the Socs. To rival the Socs are the Greasers, a tight-knit gang that includes many East side teens that have become almost like brothers to each other. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy learns many life lessons, while facing multiple obstacles and overcoming his own inner problems to finally realize a bigger picture in the end. S.E. Hinton focused deeply on symbolism to display these multiple themes.
As the story continues, Ponyboy starts to realize that the Socs are not that different than the greasers. In Chapter 3, Ponyboy and Cherry talk about their lives, and Cherry tells Ponyboy, “I’ll bet you watch sunsets too.” (Hinton 40) Ponyboy thought that it was funny that the sunset she saw from her patio was the one he saw from his house. Ponyboy comes to a conclusion that the Socs are human just like the greasers, and that they appreciate many of the same things. Later in the story, Ponyboy and Cherry meet again. Cherry says that Ponyboy is a nice kid and that it was hard to find a nice kid around town. Ponyboy then asks, “Can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?” (P. 129) Cherry responds and says that she could see the sunset real good. Ponyboy then says, “You can see it good from the East Side too.” (P. 130) Ponyboy knows that Cherry experiences some of the same things that he does, and he is trying to say that they (greasers and Socs) are not that different. Before the rumble, Randy meets with Ponyboy and they talk about Bob’s death and how Johnny might die because of his
The Outsiders is a realistic fiction novel written by S.E. Hinton. In order for every book to have a good plot, it needs one or more conflict. In The Outsiders, there are several hostilities. The conflict doesn’t just happen to Ponyboy, but everyone in the book is affected by opposition. While there are many different kinds of disputes in this novels, the main ones are character versus character, character versus nature, and character versus society.
The Outsiders is a wonderful novel to read in the classroom because of its conflicts with one another. During this novel, the Curtis brothers realize that they are the only family they have left, and they make the best out of that. Throughout this novel, Darry, Soda, and Pony have changed dramatically throughout this
He is like Ponyboy in the sense of enjoying small things, but in different ways. "Useless... fighting's no good...." (Hinton 148) Johnny comes to this realization and says this because he doesn’t believe in fighting. He sees no reason in it and definitely does not find joy in it like the rest of the greasers. The average greaser finds happiness in violence and “dirtiness,” (as Cherry Valance, a Soc, says) but Johnny Cade is able to find comfort in cleaner, gentler things, such as sunsets, poems, and reading. One of the main moments where Johnny shows this is when he talks about a sunset and says, "The mist was what was pretty...All gold and silver." (Hinton 66). He is very quiet and preserved, which is why the gang treats him as the “pet.”Although he and Ponyboy share the idea of loving these things, Johnny loves them in his own way and finds the deeper meaning in
In “The Outsiders”, the speaker of the novel is a fourteen year-old fellow named Ponyboy who is the narrator and the youngest member of the greasers. S.E. Hinton wrote the novel in the 1960s in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the time of class struggle in society. The novel was intended to relate to young teens and adults who have experienced the troubles and unfortunate situations in the story. The author is referring to the poor and their daily struggles. The author explains the harshness of the greaser’s life and shows empathy for them. The author tells the truth as it is and doesn’t blur the reality. The author wants the audience to understand the predicaments and relate to it. “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a fiction novel that represents social
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 Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a novel about two neighborhoods separated because of classes in society. In these two neighborhoods, teenagers are separated into two different gangs, the lower-class Greasers and the upper-class Socs. Ponyboy, a greaser comes from a hard life. His parents died and he is left being raised by his older brother Darry. After both his brothers failed at accomplishing their dreams in life, Pony is left feeling like he will only be a greaser. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy realizes he has many traits making him have an outstanding future, such as his intelligence instincts and heroic skills.
Albert Camus states that “In our society any man who doesn’t cry at his mother’s funeral is liable to be condemned to death” (Camus, 18). In the book The Outsider, Meursault defies local convention by not showing the sadness that is expected of him at his mother’s funeral. Ultimately, his life is dependant on this very decision of whether or not to show emotion. In the society that Meursault lives in, one is expected to conform to their standards and social norms. Anyone who deviates from these norms is considered an outcast and destined to die at the hands of society. Meursault was expected to show outwards signs of grief whether it was real or not. Even if the grief is artificial, most people will play to the audience and show signs