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Masculinity In The Outsiders

Decent Essays

Historically, men have held every position of power and status in known societies, civilized or otherwise. Men have been the fore-runners, the providers and the respected warriors of every age since the dawn of recorded time. These cultures did not confuse their identities or cultural roles in regards to gender; men were expected to win fame and fortune for themselves and their families, tribes or clans while women were expected to support their men in domesticity and child-rearing. Men knew what was expected of them since birth as they were often surrounded by masculine role-models in their own societies. However, modern masculinity has become something else entirely. Too much has been written about these time periods to rehash any of the …show more content…

Hinton’s seminal work, The Outsiders. Penned in 1967, at first glance, this is mostly a straightforward “us versus them” novel in which our hero pariahs find meaning and understanding through communication with the “enemy” only to find out they were much more similar than they had once anticipated. This is, of course, a correct reading of the classic novel but ultimately a shallow one. There is far more at play in The Outsiders than such trivialities as “enemies become friends”. Comradery, blood-ties, and personal valor are all extremely masculine ideals and all are very present in this novel if one only examines the text on a more critical level. For example, consider the group of boys themselves and how they ultimately function as a family with a clear hierarchy; how is this group any different than a medieval clan or ancient warrior tribe? Dally and Darryl are clearly father figures to the younger boys as they display examples of stern leadership and vintage bravado. Darryl, as the provider, works everyday roofing to support his family and friends; most of the boys can be found at the Curtis’s house at one time or another, it’s almost akin to a headquarters for this group of young men. Dally, on the other hand, acts as a guide or mentor for Pony and Johnny to help them survive in a world hostile to …show more content…

Even the younger boys like Soda and Pony are much more sensitive in nature but still eager to prove themselves in the “rumble” towards the end of the novel. Physical combat seems to carry weight similar to ancient rites of passage, you were only considered a man if you could best another in a trial by arms or “lick” someone as the boys of the 1960’s would say. This is an important distinction to notice and deserves further inspection. Even with the loss of their biological parents to death, alcoholism, marital strife or pure apathy, these boys take care of one another with each older generation raising the younger, Dally even comments to Johnny about the nature of their relationship when he inquires about whether his parents cared about his well-being, “’My parents… did they ask about me?’ ‘No,’ snapped Dally, they didn’t. Blast it, Johnny, what do they matter? Shoot, my old man don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter. That don’t bother me none.’” (Outsiders 88). Whether Dally is completely aware of the role he plays in Johnny’s life is unclear but it adds all the more weight to the revelation of Johnny’s death; for Dally, this is losing a son. There is a solid argument to make that, in spite of their personal hardships, these boys are far more adjusted to masculinity than their counterparts the “Socs” who seem to be aimless in their pursuit of

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