The Book 'The Outsiders' By S. E. Hinton

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about two groups of kids the greasers and the Socs. The Socs are the rich kids who drive expensive cars and wear expensive clothes and the greasers are considered the bums. They don’t have money and they don’t get whatever they want, they also have to work extra hard to get to where they want to be. If you are considered a greaser you are a muffin and the Socs are the cupcakes. Everybody would prefer a cupcake over a muffin, but in this story two boys were just trying to protect themselves and they get into some trouble while doing it so, they hit the road. I am going to tell you about whether or not Ponyboy and Johnny are heroes.

The entire book is about Ponyboy against other greasers and Socs. The terms greaser and Soc are used for the kids who live on the east and west side. “Ponyboy . . . I mean . . . if I see you in the hall at school or someplace and don’t say hi, well, it’s not personal or anything, but . .(Hilton 45).” Cherry didn’t want to say hi to Ponyboy if she saw him because she is a Soc and he is a greaser. In fact none of the greasers or Socs said hi to each other. Society played a large role in this book by separating the Socs and the greasers.

Sherry Valance, a 16 year-old Soc, who goes by the name Cherry, influenced Ponyboy not just a little, but caused him to ponder about the meaning behind all the rivalry between the Socs and the Greasers. Hate between the Socs, the rich kids of the west side, and the Greasers, the poor kids from the east side, has always existed. Beforehand, Ponyboy greatly disliked the Socs, for they continually jumped and attacked Greasers. He always regarded them as an enemy. However, that one night when Ponyboy Curtis clashed with Sherry Valance, she demonstrated that not all Socs were malevolent and self-centered. While conversing with Cherry, Ponyboy felt her empathy and understanding and softened towards her. She talked about her boyfriend, Bob, and how he

Quotes “I really couldn't see what Socs would have to sweat about—good grades, good cars, good girls, madras and Mustangs and Corvairs—Man, I thought, if I had worries like that I'd consider myself lucky. I know better now.” Ponyboy was quite naïve in the beginning of the book. He thought the Socs had it all. However, he knew better than to jump to conclusions.

Later on in the story, Ponyboy, being a greaser met a couple of people from the upper social class, or the “Socs” as they call it in the story, prior to this incident Ponyboy had a mindset that Soc’s “were too cool to feel anything” but he then realizes that they do feel things by countering his claim “Randy was supposed to be too cool to feel anything, and yet there was pain in his eyes.” This is an example of style because the author uses this same style throughout the entire story, holding an informal tone. This fits the theme perfectly, proving that Ponyboy had once determined the fate of a Socs and didn't get to know him before he made that

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

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.

As Ponyboy states when he starts to understand this, “No, it wasn’t Cherry the Soc who was helping us, it was Cherry the dreamer who watched sunsets and couldn’t stand fights.” (Hinton 86). Ponyboy was previously under the impression that all Socs didn’t care about anything, and was surprised when he met Cherry, a Soc who watched the same sunset as he did. The stereotype of Socs being heartless and cruel was all he had seen and heard, so it was hard for him to understand how one could be so different. Ponyboy’s friends felt similarly, and most of them found it even harder to grasp this concept than Ponyboy had. The Greasers were used to judging the Socs as a group, and did not see them as individuals. These group stereotypes are what ultimately caused most of the biggest fights in the novel.

There were conflicts between the Socs that conflicted with the greasers. They were two opposite groups that didn't get along. The Socs, "the jet-set...West-side rich kids, wear madras shirts, smell of English leather, and drive new sports cars..." (6). Socs were rich, while greasers were low class. "Soc" is an abbreviation of the Socials, which are the West-side rich kids. Socs had a better reputation than the greasers.

While she is talking to Ponyboy near Two-Bit’s house, Ponyboy and Her have a discussion, “‘No’, Cherry said slowly when I said this. “‘It’s not just money. Part of it is, but not all. You greasers have different set of values.’” (38). Hinton starts to reveal that possibly not all Soc’s are bad, but Cherry says even more, “‘You’re more emotional. We’re sophisticated- cool to the point of not feeling anything. Nothing is real with us. You know, sometimes I’ll catch myself talking to a girlfriend, and realize I don’t mean half of what I’m saying. I don’t really think a beer blast on the river bottom is super-cool, but I’ll rave about one to a girlfriend just to be saying something.’” (38). Cherry Valance, a Soc is just trying to fit in and she’s not like herself half of the time. Cherry also says, “‘Did you ever hear of having more than you wanted? So that couldn’t want anything else and then start looking for something else to want? It seems like we’re always searching for something to satisfy us, and never finding it. Maybe if we could lose our cool we could’” (38). Hinton wants to tell readers that Greasers and Socs aren’t always so different. Greasers have it rough with being the underdogs and being treated bad, Socs have it rough because sometimes they get to much of what they want and it doesn’t satisfy them, they try to lose their cool but it’s hard too. Regardless of the social group, people will

Randy confides in a Pony boy at a moment of raw self reflection stating, “I wouldn’t have. I would have let those kids burn to death” (123). Here in this moment of doubt it is evident that Randy is contemplating the goodness that exist inside of him, Pony boy’s heroism inevitably prompted Randy to seek his identity outside of his social role, and ponder his more ethical self and his own selflessness. Pony reflects on Johnny’s and his own heroism saying, “Greaser didn’t have anything to do with it. My buddy over there would have done it. Maybe you would have done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual. Pony boys statement reveals that real heroism is not a characteristic exclusive to either group; but rather an attribute of the pained and selfless. Through Randy’s genuine pain from losing Bob, Pony boy is able to look beyond the Soc facade and see that Randy too would have saved the

"I had it then. Soda fought for fun. Steve for hatred, Darry for pride, and Two-Bit for conformity. Why do I fight? I thought, and couldn't think of any real good reason. There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self defense" (Hinton, 137). Ponyboy's internal struggle is very much a part of this story. But what fuels his struggle? The answer to this question is what he sees in the world, or rather his viewpoint. But, sometimes those viewpoints are skewed by stereotypes, making the them of this book, stereotypes are powerful but often wrong.

In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, embarks on a story of a young boy Greaser, his gang, the rivalry with the Socs, and how it all ended. The main theme of The Outsider was social class. Socs have wealth that helps them through life and their parents have enough money to do anything for them Greasers do not have an education, and that’s true because they don’t have enough money and the privilege to get a good education. On the other hand, Socs don’t have to worry about not having a bad education because they can afford an education. Although greasers can the opportunity to stop and smell the roses, Socs have everything in life needed, they don’t have the cherishable life they wish for. Hinton notifies, through the text, the main reason for the gang’s separation is because of their social class and expectations.

This book showed the struggle between rich and poor. The two main groups of the story were the Socs and the greasers. The Socs are in the upper class while the greasers are the poor ones that dislike the Socs because they have more money, better cars, and act like they are better than the greasers. The Outsiders is a good story by S.E. Hinton that shows the struggles of growing up Hinton did a fine job with the character development, the plot, and the theme with a few flaws.

fact he was mad. If he was mad, it was a pity, however if he had