The Outsiders Themes

When writing The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton built her story around several key themes that readers could identify. After reading this book, I'm confident I have found a few of them. Stick with your people and uniqueness conquers wealth were probably lesser themes Hinton included for us to become conscious of. There is a bigger theme though. I believe stand in the shoes of people who are different is the most worthy overall theme for this book, and is supported with three examples from the text. First, when Ponyboy undergoes a revelation while talking to Cherry, also when (example 2 here), and finally when (example 3 here).

“Tall elm trees made the park shadowy and dark, and it would have been a good hangout, but we preferred our vacant lot” (Hinton, 47) What will happen next? In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton uses profound description of the setting to establish mood in the text. In a novel such as The Outsiders, it is of major importance that the author establishes setting and mood for the novel’s plot to develop. This is where ambience marries mood in a story.

To conclude, The outsiders is a story about two different socisl groups, the Socs and the Greasers. Both groups feel like outsiders at times, but which of these two groups are the real outsiders? Or are the real outsiders the people who see beyond society groups? Maybe we all are

The theme of The Outsiders is that everyone can rise above what others expect from them. This is relevant throughout the book when Johnny and Ponyboy save the kids from the burning church, when Randy doesn't want to fight or hate the Greasers anymore, and when Johnny stands up for Cherry and Marcia.

Literature enlightens human beings about profound life lessons and the complexities of human interactions. In the fictional novel, "The Outsiders," by S.E. Hinton, the protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis, undergoes a multitude of traumatic experiences that change his life forever. Through elaborate direct and indirect characterization and symbolism, S.E. Hinton develops many universal themes. The value of friendship and gang loyalty, staying true to oneself, and closing the gap between the rich (Socs) and poor (greasers) are among the most significant themes that the author wants readers to learn from and apply in life.

The Outsiders is a book about two gangs called the Socials and Greasers. The Socials is a rival group who dislike the Greasers, and are always willing to put up on a fight in the streets. The Socs, are upper-class, they’re always picking on the other group. Unlike the Greasers’ group, the Socs want to show they are stronger than any other person out there in the world by starting violence. The characters are fearless, and bold. However, the Greasers are lower-class but they are there for each other most of the time when they need a helping hand, like a family, they all treat each other with good companionship. They don’t like how violence wouldn’t solve anything. The character, Johnny is a Greaser and a quiet person. He doesn’t respond back when someone says something about him. By the end of the book, Johnny’s character changes dramatically, that had an impact on what the had done later on in the story. He stood up for himself and killed Bob for self-defense, and saved kids from a burning church.

Look around at your close friends. You stick together just like a family. Your friends support and know you. Like a family, friends know each other, like each other, and relate to each other. In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, my theme, friends are family, is very present. S.E. Hinton shows that Friends are family like when the greasers stick together because they really know each other and don’t really have family. The theme at the beginning is friends are family.

The main theme of 'The Outsiders' is that friends are your chosen family. In other words, the people in your inner circle along with your family, are the friends you choose to have there. This is present with many characters in the book, in fact, the only three 'Greasers' that did not seem to have their friends closer than their family were Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry. However, these three boys had many people in their lives who loved their friends more than their family, such as Johnny, who's dad beat him, and mom neglected him, and Dally who had no relation with his parents, then there is Darry, who loves his friends like family, and he is one of the only ones that knows what true family love feels like.

One of the main vs man conflict in the Outsiders is the rival between the greasers and the socs. The greasers are the east side boys who " steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations". The greasers, due to their family background and physical appearance, are being stereotyped as individuals who are poor and are provided with fewer opportunities than others. On the other hand, the socs, are " the west-side rich kids" who come from affluent backgrounds and" likes to jump greasers and throw beer blasts for kicks". In the eyes of the public, the Socs are the social elites whereas the greasers are considered the less privileged, second-class citizens.

The Outsiders, a novel by S.E. Hinton, shares moralities that encourage themes of brotherhood and heroism with literary elements - which includes setting, point of view, characterization, conflict, plot, and theme. Each element influences the big idea of flawed heroes and friendships to readers. With her powerful novel, Hinton is able to express the necessity of unity and brotherhood within a community, despite differences in classes, ages, or ideals.

No matter who you are, or where you are in the world, best friends and siblings are people who influence us daily, and help us through rough times in our lives. In the two novels The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, and The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, the two main are both example of this universal theme. Ponyboy Curtis, from The Outsiders lives in Tulsa Oklahoma, trying to find a balance from the dangerous world that is separated by the Greasers and the Socs. He soon finds that these two different worlds are not so different after all. Holling Hoodhood is just trying to make it through the confusing world that is seventh grade, while being alone in the classroom with a teacher that hates his guts every Wednesday. One thing both Holling and Ponyboy have in common though, is that they have a loyal best friend with them by their side, their best friends will always stick up for them, and their siblings are always there when the world may seem against them.

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.

According to Frederick Douglass, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” Douglass spoke of the danger and issues of organization and separation by class, yet it is the scenario depicted in The Outsiders. The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel written by S. E. Hinton in the 1960s. In The Outsiders, the teenagers of a city are being ripped apart by a violent feud based solely on social class. The first group, known as the Socs, are the wealthy and popular. The second group is the Greasers, who are poor and viewed as the scum of the city. The

Sammy Davis Jr. once said “You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fears”. This means you can chose to be scared and back off, or commit to face your fears without worrying about what the consequences or the result will be when you make this choice. This relates to the choices made in The Outsiders, because Johnny faces his fears face on, not backing off and instead, committing. He does this to save the ones who he most cares about the most. Correspondingly, the theme of The Outsiders is that committing and making choices that you may not like, may have a beneficial, long-term effect on the people around you.

People are able to judge others based off of their social class. Social classes are what split up the society in “The Outsiders”, and because of it there is constant tension between the two social classes. In “The Outsiders” it shows many times that the Socs and the Greasers don’t get along very well. If a greaser is walking alone there is