The Outsiders Character Analysis

The Outsiders, a novel by S.E. Hilton is set in Oklahoma in the 1960s, tells the story of a group of greasers that will always back each other up no matter what the situation. On the other hand, the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder, is set a small town in New Hampshire in the early 1900s that focuses on the lifestyles of common people that share common interests and live together as a whole community. Both stories emphasize the theme of cherishing life.

In the novel The Outsiders by S.E. HINTON the main character Ponyboy’s identity changes multiple times over the text. In the beginning of the story Ponyboy was introduced as a greaser, a greaser is someone who is usually poorer than the middle class and like to screw around and start gang fights and they are considered hoods as stated on pages 2-3, “We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we’re wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace almost like hoods.” this shows that even though the Socs are much more wild the greasers are still considered the bad crazy hood people. Ponyboy didn’t like being a greaser

It was only two gangs, three deaths, and many injuries, but the bloody, death defying, life changing brawl is what ended all of the chaos.In book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton Ponyboy learns a lot about being caring. In this novel two groups called the Socs and the Greasers fight each other continuously. This leads them to unexpected fights and deaths, causing things to not go as planned.Ponyboy is caring because he is thoughtful, trustworthy, and brave.

Survival instincts allow individuals to persevere during times of hardship and struggle. Unfortunately, many families in America are struggling lower-middle class or live in poverty. It’s nice to think a person can easily go from being dirt poor to filthy rich, but it doesn’t usually work that way. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton depicts the hardships and struggles experienced by two rival gangs, “The Greasers” from the lower middle class and “The Socs” from the upper class. Thesis: In The Outsiders, the Greasers experience disenfranchisement mostly due to socioeconomic class and appearance. However, other types of disenfranchisement such as drug, alcohol use and gang participation are also present in the novel.

As a young adult, it is difficult to grow up without parents and still be tough and brave. In addition, teens can be emotional and overreact at times. In the novel The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, a fourteen-year-old kid named Ponyboy Curtis feels different emotions that make him stand out from other Greasers, or “hoodlums”. Ponyboy, the youngest of all the Greasers, is a great example of a teen who feels isolated, brave, and emotional throughout the novel.

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.

The Outsiders is about the Greasers and the Socs seeing their differences in a new way and learning that they aren’t as different as they think. The theme of “The Outsiders” is ‘crossing over the gap between the rich and the poor’. The author conveys this through character, symbols and events. S.E. Hinton shows the theme by everyone having their own personal suffering.

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.

Have you ever had two friends that are enemies? In the story, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, Cherry Valance (her real name is Sherri) is a fashionable, fiery, red headed, emotional, understanding, and trustworthy friend. The story took place in the mid 1960’s in Tulsa, OK. Greasers and Socs are two very different, yet same groups, which most definitely do not get along. After Ponyboy and Johnny got jumped, Johnny killed Bob, a Soc who was also Cherry’s boyfriend. During Ponyboy and Johnny’s hiding out in an abandoned church, the church starts on fire, while the children are playing in there. Johnny and Ponyboy somehow made their way back in to save the kids. Johnny and Ponyboy both made it out alive. Unfortunately, however, Johnny gets out with severe burns and a broken back. While he is in the hospital, Cherry has a conflict with herself: she is asked by Ponyboy to go see Johnny in the hospital, but she says no because she doesn’t want to face the person who killed Bob. In the time of the trial, Cherry and other Soc’s testify and come clean about the night of the stabbing. Consequently, since they told the truth, Johnny, Sodapop, and Darry all got to stay together. Cherry Valance is an emotional, caring, and trustworthy friend.

THESIS STATEMENT: He starts as a abuse victim, becomes caring and responsible, and dies a hero

“All heroes have dropped tears, not because they are weak, but because they have been strong for too long.” This is the perfect quote to contradict your stereotypical hero like Superman or Captain America. In The Outsiders, the greasers proved to be the heroes of the story, not the snobby Socs. The three greasers that specifically met my standards of a hero were Johnny, Dally, and Ponyboy. All three of these characters show that heroes don’t have to be perfect. My definition of a hero is someone tough, not just physically, but mentally, too. Bravery is also an important factor for being a hero. Another characteristic I see in a hero is the compassion and love someone might show, directly or indirectly, even though they might have a tough life behind what you see.

According to Cherry Valance, it wasn’t easy being a Soc. Despite the money and the cars, “Things are rough all over.” In chapter two, Ponyboy Curtis and Two-Bit Matthews are walking Cherry and Marcia home from the drive-in. And Cherry says to Ponyboy, “‘I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs.

According to Keri Russell,“Sometimes it’s the smallest choices that change our lives forever”. I believe this quote means that you should always be careful of your choices because, any small mistake can ruin your life. This quote relates to the novel, The Outsiders, because there are many choices in the book that change our whole perspective about certain characters. No matter how somebody looks, treat someone like you would yourself, unless you have a reason to treat them otherwise.

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives.” By B.R. Ambedkar who is a jurist, economist, and a Politician. People do many things to fit in with the cool friend group and in society. Why do people treat each other the way people do, why do people most of the time have more than one identity, and why do people want to change their identities.

In the book “The Outsiders,” written by S.E. Hinton, the characters were divided by how rich or poor their family was. The rich children were called the Socs, which is short for Socials, and also known as the “West Side Kids.” The poor children were called the Greasers, mostly because they always had greasy hair and never bothered to get a haircut. The Greasers live on the hood side, the East side, which is where they get into gang fights. The main character and narrator of this book is Ponyboy, he is a greaser. Ponyboy’s parents died in an auto wreck so he lives with his two older brothers, Soda and Darry. Whether it’s going to a Catholic school or public school, the way you dress, or the car you drive, people in our world today are divided the same way the Greasers and the Socs were.