preview

Reputation In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

Decent Essays

In the novel The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, two social groups, the Socs and the Greasers, are rivals because of their different places in society. Throughout the novel, the main character Ponyboy Curtis’ feelings and attitude towards the Socs change. Ponyboy finally learns at the end of the novel that although a group of people may have a reputation, that reputation may not hold true to individuals.
Initially, Ponyboy’s opinion of the Socs is extremely negative and this is shown many times throughout the novel. In Chapter Nine, Ponyboy and Two bit sing “‘I am a Soc. I am the privileged and the well-dressed. I throw beer blasts, drive fancy cars, break windows at fancy parties.’‘And what do you do for fun?’ I inquired in a serious, awed voice.

Get Access