The Pony Boy Characterisation

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

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

“The Outsiders”, by S.E. Hinton, is centered around Ponyboy’s path to maturity and the life lessons he learns along the way. The novel follows Ponyboy, a greaser, and his gang’s conflict with the Socials, a rival gang. In it, he learns to not judge people hastily and reject gang mentality. Ponyboy also loses his innocence. The following paragraphs will explore his growth throughout “The Outsiders”.

Ponyboy Curtis is the famous character in S.E Hinton's novel “The Outsiders”. Ponyboy Curtis is academically smart, enjoys reading books watching movies, daydreaming and watching sunsets. Since both his parents have passed away, Ponyboy is under the authority of his older brother Darry who is twenty years of age along with his other brother Sodapop who is seventeen. There are other people in Ponyboy's life that he cares about too.

The Novel The Outsiders reveals that it is the “real” and “raw” moments the define an individual as human. In these moments of authentic and selfless love the attributes of individual become more definitive then social class, or reputation. Through examining Dallas Winston and his love for Johnny and Randy’s emotional encounter with Pony boy Hinton’s most haunting and enduring argument become evident, that self discovery imposed by love and loss has no sides but the outside.

"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.

After Johnny’s death, Ponyboy finds a letter written by Johnny that reads, “When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn. It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep it that way, it’s a good way to be,” (178). Johnny urges Ponyboy to embrace his youth and innocence by not yielding to the greaser lifestyle. He insists on Ponyboy seeking his full potential. Ponyboy acknowledges that there are different stories beyond one’s appearance like himself because although the society previously consider him a nuisance to the community, they are proved wrong after he transforms into a hero after saving children from a church fire, which contributes to his dynamic change. Even the close-minded public are subject to their own change of mind. Johnny’s letter also leaves a lifelong impact on Ponyboy’s perspective on the importance of family because the absence of family in Johnny’s life makes Ponyboy treasure the atypical family he has, whether it may the greasers as a whole. In all, a number of people influence Pony to change his views on people and his

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.

In the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy is walking home alone thinking about the past, and the relationship between Greasers and Socs, or the upperclassmen. Ponyboy later is jumped due to being alone by himself at night. “ Anyway I went home thinking about the movie, and then suddenly wishing I had some company. Greasers can’t walk alone too much or they’ll get jumped…” (Hinton 2). Ponyboy feels isolated knowing there was a chance he could be jumped by a Soc. He was feeling alone which resembled that he wanted some company and wanted to feel safe. Later on, after Johnny saves Ponyboy, and has to kill Bob, a Soc, they have to run away to an abandoned church located in Windrixville. The next day Ponyboy wakes up and Johnny is not sleeping next to him on the ground. This makes Ponyboy feel lonely, and he begins to think about home and wishes he was with his brothers eating dinner. “ I woke up late in the afternoon. For a second I did not know where I was… I convinced myself that I had dreamed the night before.” (Hinton 68)

Characters are a vital element of fiction; without them, a story falls apart because the readers are forced to only focus on its plot, setting, or other aspects of fiction. Characterization is the process in which the author describes the distinctive nature or features of a particular character. A character is often characterized by their own dialogue, actions, thoughts, appearance, and interpretation by the author or by other characters in the story. Through these methods, an author can really bring their characters to life for the reader. In “My Kid’s Dog,” Ron Hansen uses these methods to bring all his characters to life. He portrays the strained relationship an owner has with his ‘daughter’s’ pet dog, and the difficulties overcoming his hardships. Through methods of characterization, Hansen unveils the friction between the dad and the dog and allows the reader to empathize with them, incorporating humor throughout the story, as well.

“The functions of intellect are insufficient and useless if you are without courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy,” says a quote by Dean Koontz. Throughout S.E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders, there are many themes that she conveys in the book as she narrates the experiences of a greaser named Ponyboy who is a member of the Social group (Socs). Ponyboy meets many people and witnesses many difficult situations throughout the book. This inspirational book teaches the reader crucial lessons that are very important for everyone, even if their lives are not anything like Ponyboy’s. Three important themes in the book include friendship, courage and empathy.

In the first scene of the film, Ponyboy exits a theatre to what looks like the city center area. As he begins his walk home a mustang filled with Socs see him walking and immediately start insulting him, telling him to wash the grease out of his hair. The torment does not stop there, they follow him throughout town, throwing scrap wood at him and chasing him down the street. It escalated to the point the Socs jump out of the car and takes him down, pointing a switchblade at his neck and cutting him. This type of harassment is normal for Greasers, which is why they never should walk alone. This scene is an example of victim precipitation theory. Ponyboy is an adolescent male with a poor upbringing walking alone, even in broad daylight, he is considered an easy target for the Socs and they know they can get away with it. Another example is when Ponyboy and Johnny decide to run away together, they were spotted by the Socs who had been drinking and looking for easy targets.

Ponyboy, Johnny, Sodapop, Darry are all a part of the unruly gang, the Greasers. S.E Hinton is writing these characters as rebellious young men, with a harsh background, who takes their anger and hardship out on gang fighting. These roles play an important part in this book because it shows that even though they nothing physically, they have a heart stronger than gold for each other and others mentally. Hinton use these characters to show prejudice leads to wrong conclusions, violence and oppression because these “poor” young men are getting beat up by the rich Socs who have never felt the feeling of being in poverty. “ You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you’re in a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don’t stick up for them, stick together, make

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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.