Examples Of Stereotypes In The Outsiders

Do you really know the truth about greasers? Stereotypes are everywhere even if they are wrong. Socs are seen at sweet and the innocent ones. When you turn your backs, the socs are the ones who are attacking the greasers. When the greasers fight it is usually is for self defense. Greasers are mainly good, but society highlights their ”hoodlum acts”. Greasers are misunderstood, and stereotyped because of misconception.

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

Death. Not something many people want. Violence. Another thing one does not want. Stereotyping leads to death. Didn’t expect that. In The Outsiders by SE Hinton there is little to expect. Based in Oklahoma in the 1960’s the book goes through the battle between two teenage gangs, the underprivileged Greasers, and the rich Socs. Ponyboy Curtis a member of the Greasers gets too caught up in this meaningless feud of stereotyping. Him along with other members of his gang- his brothers Darry and Sodapop, and friends Johnny, Dallas, Two-bit, and Steve. On the other side of town the rich Socs, Bob and Randy, And their gang jump, beat up, and stereotype the Greasers. Some of these kids got too caught up in the stereotyping and it leads to their deaths,including Johnny, Dallas, and Bob. SE Hinton clearly demonstrates the theme that stereotyping leads to violence through the deaths of Johnny,Dallas, and Bob.

The story told from Ponyboy’s perspective, tells how Johnny evolved from a poor abused kid to a murderer to a refugee, ending with a local hero. “His father clobbered him around a lot, and although it made us madder

The greasers and the socs are known for hating on each other because of their different social classes and they don’t make an effort to understand each other. When ponyboy meets cherry at the movies he comes to a realisation that socs aren’t different at all we can see this when ponyboy says “It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and, the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset" ponyboy explains to cherry that not all greasers are the same as each other and not all are unrefined we can see this when he says “It’s okay… We aren’t in the same class.

Both the Socs and the Greasers believe their opinions of their rivals to be true, even though “…most reviews of stereotyping conclude that there is very little evidence regarding the validity of beliefs about groups” (Lee, Jussim, and McCauley 5). The opinions the characters have of their opposing gangs tend to take the focus off of individual personalities and instead lumps everyone who is different from them into large groups. For example, right before Cherry leaves Ponyboy after the movies, she tells him that she might not say “hi” to him at school. He knows this is

Even though the Greasers act tough that doesn’t mean they don’t have problems some are being blamed for everything and another problem is they don’t have the materials to have a good life. An example of them being blamed on everything is when Dally says”...them boys at the station know me by now. I get hauled in for everything that happens in our turf.” (Hinton P.82). This shows

Greasers think that Socs are disgusting and spoiled people. A quote from the book can give an example of how they think of Socs, “I am a Soc. I am the privileged and the well-dressed. I throw beer blasts, drive fancy cars, break windows at fancy parties.” (pg. 136).

To start, stereotypes are deceptive because people place others into cliques based on their appearances. People assume everyone in a clique are the same, even though their true personality may differ from that clique. The first example from The Outsiders in which somebody doesn’t fit in with the stereotype they are given is Ponyboy. Ponyboy doesn’t quite fit in with his clique, the greasers. After Ponyboy is jumped, Darry has a fight with Pony. Darry yells at Ponyboy to think on the streets and to stay alert. Darry is concerned about Ponyboy’s safety: ‘“You must think at school with all those good grades you bring home, and you’ve always got your nose in a book, but do you ever use your head for common sense?”’ (13). Meaning, Ponyboy isn’t like the greaser stereotype. Compared to all the other greasers, Pony is book smart and not street smart. The greasers are smart where it really matters like on the streets. They carry blades to defend themselves, travel as gangs, and know how to get themselves out of a dangerous situation, if they get stuck in one. Ponyboy, however, is book smart. He succeeds at an outstanding level at school and in his academics. Once he is on the street his intelligence doesn’t follow him. He doesn’t use his common sense and he can’t find his way out of dangerous situations. As a result of this Pony gets jumped by the Socs which

Ponyboy Curtis shows this when he watches a movie with Johnny, Marcia, and Cherry. Dally shows up and bothers Cherry and her friend. Cherry gets aggravated by Dally’s rude behavior and tells him to go way. Cherry doesn’t see any innocence in Dally but when she approaches Pony, she see innocence. She says “Are you going to start in on us?” Pony says no and she says “ You don't look like the type.” She sees the innocence in Pony and Johnny that none of the other gang members have. She agreed to sit with them and they have a good time at the movies. The innocence in Pony and Johnny was the first thing that Cherry saw that made her trust them both. This innocence could have been the key to peace between the socs and greasers. He also shows his innocence when he is in the ambulance. No one realizes that he is a greaser because his innocence is shown more brighter than the mean greaser side of him. This innocence is what made Pony who he is today.

When the Socs pulled up next to Pony, they told him that they were going to give him a haircut. Cherry and Marci finally gave in and let the Greasers walk down to Two-Bit�s house and pick up his car to take them home. Cherry Valance said to Ponyboy, � Don�t forget that some of us watch the sunsets, too. (Hinton, 1967 , pg.46). Another atypical thing that Cherry said was, �I could fall in love with Dally Winston. I hope I never see him again, or I will.� (Hinton, 1967 , pg. 46). Also, Randy let Ponyboy into his car to talk to him about his problems and that was very atypical behavior for a Soc. A typical thing for a Soc to do would be to talk to a Greaser like Cherry talked to Ponyboy when she said, �If I see you in the hall at school or someplace and don�t say hi, well, it�s not personal or anything, but� � (Hinton, 1967, pg. 45). As a concluding statement, I know that if I were a Soc, I would want to be atypical and not mean like most of

Greasers are the main stereotype in the book but also there is a small part played by the Socs. Although the book is about the life and times of a Greaser there is also a ‘Socs Story’ in there, as throughout the book you learn more and more about the Socs and how they live. But this all changes. When Bob dies Cherry and Randy, the main Socs characters, begin to see that there is no difference between Socs and Greasers. Randy, when he talks to Ponyboy in private doesn’t call

In the novel The Outsiders, two greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, are in a church that is on fire. They run to the church to save a group of children who are trapped in the burning church. “He looked over his shoulder and saw the door was blocked by flames, then pushed open the window and tossed out the nearest kid. I caught one quick look at his face; it was red-marked from falling embers and sweat-streaked, but he grinned at me” (92). Johnny is a greaser, but he enjoys helping others. Because Johnny looks like a greaser, most people would call him a hood and think that he is worthless. People who take time to honestly know someone before judging would see that Johnny isn’t the typical greaser. If you judge someone just based on looks, you will never know all of the great acts a person has

And after these events, a whole bunch of different things can be said about the Greasers. For example the old church that Johnny and Pony are hiding out in burns down and they go back inside and save some kids that are trapped and probably going to die. A teacher that was at the picnic with the kids that day rode with Pony to the hospital after he had been in the building when it collapsed asked him something about Johnny and Pony. He said, “ Are you two professional heroes or somthin’?”(84). To me, this is funny, and kinda cool , considering they’re just some nothing Greasers around where they’re from. After Pony tells him they are Greasers the man says, “Are you kidding me?”(84). Which I find funny.His reaction is just different because he finds out they’re Greasers and he probably wondered why them, of all people, would risk their lives for some little kids. So in the middle of the book there are mostly good things, except for Johnny’s hospitalization. By the end though, that’s when things take a

However, Johnny is learning to become a brave man. “Johnny came back then and sat down beside me. He looked around for Dally, then managed a shy “Hi” to the girls and tried to watch the movie.” (Hinton 1967:11) Johnny stands up to Dally at the drive-in and tells him to stop embarrassing the two Soc girls, Cherry and Marcia. Johnny’s action pleases the girls, and they start to talk and walk with the greasers. Cherry thinks that Johnny and Ponyboy are not like most greasers, they are naive and pure. Johnny and Pony have a struggle with Cherry’s boyfriend, Bob, however. “Bob, the handsome Soc, was lying there in the moonlight, doubled up and still. A dark pool was growing from him.” (Hinton 1967:56) Bob was killed by Johnny, who did not mean to.