Randy's Personal Identity In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

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.

In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, two gangs clash and deal with their own personal conflicts. Told through the outlook of Ponyboy, a fourteen-year-old greaser, the novel is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1960s. This expository essay analyzes many characteristics of three gang members in the story. Dally, Steve, and Johnny are three characters that will be described in much detail on their characteristics.

Chris has a selective group of friends that he really enjoys himself with. When one of

‘“I wouldn’t have. I would of let those kids burn to death.” “You might not have. You might have done the same thing.” Randy pulled out a cigarette and pressed in the car lighter. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. I would have never believed a greaser could pull something like that.” “‘Greaser’ didn’t have anything to do with it. My buddy over there wouldn't of done it. Maybe you would of done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual.”’(Hinton 115). When Randy is talking to Ponyboy about saving the kids, he refers to him as a greaser and says that he could not believe that a greaser would care about anybody except themselves. Ponyboy snaps back and says that it didn’t have anything with being a greaser, but that it is about the individual, and who you are a person, not what type of people you hang out with. This changes what Randy feels toward the greaser and who they really are and not what they act like. Randy realizes to dig deeper within the meaning of people.

Besides the conflicts between the greasers and the conflicts between the Socs there were also conflicts between the two gangs. Because the two groups were so

Identity is something that someone has to create on his or her own and not something that they are born with. Identity is like the colors of the rainbow. Each color is different and can represent something different. Internal identity factors are more influential on the development of a person's identity. In contrast, external identity factors such as socio-economic status and culture do not determine a person's identity. What determines someone's identity are their choices they make throughout their lives. Self-worth is very important and plays a big role in your internal identity. Self-worth is what someone thinks of themselves and not what others think about them. Unlike, external identity which is what other people judge a person by. Therefore, your internal identity has a better impact on a person's overall identity than their external identity.

What is personal identity? This question has been asked and debated by philosophers for centuries. The problem of personal identity is determining what conditions and qualities are necessary and sufficient for a person to exist as the same being at one time as another. Some think personal identity is physical, taking a materialistic perspective believing that bodily continuity or physicality is what makes a person a person with the view that even mental things are caused by some kind of physical occurrence. Others take a more idealist approach with the belief that mental continuity is the sole factor in establishing personal identity holding that physical things are just reflections of the mind.

Kenny is the bully of the group. He is constantly making fun of Frank and Tub, playing on their insecurities. Kenny is the stereotypical alpha male. He has to be in

Randy helps Ponyboy realize that Socs are as susceptible to pain as anyone else. Randy tries to make peace with Ponyboy after Ponyboy saves the children from the fire, and he refuses to fight in the

Identity is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is” (Oxford University Press). Personal identity deals with questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being people. Some of these questions are familiar that happen to all of us every once in a while: What am I? When did I begin? What will happen to me when I die? There are many different categories that define us as people (Olson). Our Race, Class, and Culture define who we are so much that it affects how we should live our life.

Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.

If Ponyboy were too have only given him a chance, and personally got too know him, would his death have happened? After the deaths of Bob, Jonny and Dally, Ponyboy lays low and tries to grieve over what has happened. Randy, a soc, who sat the rumble out, comes to visit him. Ponyboy has never had anything against Randy so they are able to have a deep conversation. Randy informs Ponyboy that Bob was never a bad guy, but he may have came off that way. It is very easy to change someone. People that are in your life everyday have a huge impact on your behavior. The socs are a big influence for Bob he is with them every second, its just how life is in their town. Bob is playing his role, as a soc. It would take a lot of nerve to over turn these rules. Randy was someone Ponyboy could trust, during the rumble Randy took himself out, he went against society. That is something Ponyboy has wanted to happen, and is why he looks at Randy has someone he can trust and talk too. Randy made a dent in the rules of their society and Ponyboy respects that. If Randy had made this move quicker could both worlds have became one, could Bob have had another

Webster's dictionary describes identity as sameness of essential character, individuality, or the fact of being the same person as one claims to be. So your identity can include your name, your age, your job title, or simply characteristics of your

Personal identity is a concept within philosophy that has persisted throughout its history. In the eighteenth century this problem came to a head. David Hume dedicated a portion of his philosophy in the attempts to finally put what he saw as a fallacious claim concerning the soul to rest. In the skeptical wake of Hume, German idealist, beginning with Immanuel Kant, were left with a variety of epistemic and metaphysical problems, the least of which was personal identity.

Identity is what evolves us, it is what makes us think the way we do, and act the way we act, in essence, a person’s identity is their everything. Identity separates us from everyone else, and while one may be very similar to another, there is no one who is exactly like you; someone who has experienced exactly what you have, feels the way you do about subjects, and reacts the same to the events and experiences you have had. This became prevalent to me as I read through many books, that everyone goes through the process of finding who they are. A prevalent theme throughout literature is the idea that over time one develops their identity through life over time, in contrast to being born with one identity and having the same