Socs Vs Greasers

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a novel about a boy called Ponyboy who is involved in a rivalry between two gangs, the Greasers and the Socs. The Socs live in the West side of town; they look clean, have lots of money and drive blue Mustangs. The greasers live in the east side of town; they wear hair oil, t-shirts and jeans, and don’t have much money. Ponyboy is part of the Greasers, along with his two brothers Darry and Sodapop, his closest friend Johnny Cade, Two-Bit, Steve and Dallas Winston, the toughest of the gang... or at least that is what Ponyboy thinks about him in the beginning of the novel in chapter one “He was tougher than the rest of us- tougher, colder, and meaner.”

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

Due to a lack of money, Ponyboy and his family were greasers. As Ponyboy stated to Cherry, who was a rich Soc, “...maybe it was money that separated us” (Hinton 38).

He meets Cherry, a Soc, whom he gets along with quite well because, they understood each other when it came to the different social classes. Cherry told Ponyboy that the greasers “think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs.” She informs Ponyboy that “it may come as a surprise” that Socs “have troubles” greasers have “never even heard of.” She looks at Ponyboy straight in the eye and tells him “things are rough all over.”(Page 31). Cherry is a broad-minded character, for she saw both sides of the social levels, moreover, understood the troubles Ponyboy and his gang had faced because of the Socs. She wants the rivalry to end, and wants to do whatever is required to balance the power between the Socs and greasers. Although the obstacles were different, because of her, Ponyboy, consequently, starts realizing that Socs face difficulties as well. At this point of the novel, Ponyboy had second thoughts on how he felt about the Socs. Sure, they were malicious, but that wasn’t the only part of them-they crossed hurdles just like everyone

In the book the Outsiders, Ponyboy faces many conflicts, some had carried more significance than others. The author of this novel is S.E. Hinton. The main characters of this novel are Ponyboy Curtis, Sodapop Curtis, and Darrel Curtis (Darry). The Outsiders is novel about the wars between the two social classes formally known as Socs (The higher class/richer people) and the Greasers (The lower class/poorer blue collar workers.) This novel however is told from the perspective of the Greasers, more specifically a young boy at the bottom of a small gang or family of greasers. In the novel The Outsiders the character Ponyboy experience multiple conflicts with his family, his friends, and the law.

As Ponyboy states when he starts to understand this, “No, it wasn’t Cherry the Soc who was helping us, it was Cherry the dreamer who watched sunsets and couldn’t stand fights.” (Hinton 86). Ponyboy was previously under the impression that all Socs didn’t care about anything, and was surprised when he met Cherry, a Soc who watched the same sunset as he did. The stereotype of Socs being heartless and cruel was all he had seen and heard, so it was hard for him to understand how one could be so different. Ponyboy’s friends felt similarly, and most of them found it even harder to grasp this concept than Ponyboy had. The Greasers were used to judging the Socs as a group, and did not see them as individuals. These group stereotypes are what ultimately caused most of the biggest fights in the novel.

By making friends with two socs girls in the movie house, Ponyboy realized that not all the socs were violent, and were fond of fighting for fun. ‘ All socs aren’t like that,’ , she said. ‘You have to believe me, Ponyboy. Not all of us are like that.’ (Hinton 36). These words was said by cherry, one of the socs friends of Ponyboy. After hearing about the experience that Johnny was beaten up by four socs, Cherry explained to Ponyboy that not all the socs praised violence. She told Ponyboy that socs were always behind a wall of aloofness, and not to let their real selves show through. Therefore, Ponyboy began to understand the socs. He knew that although the socs were wealthy, sometimes they would meet troubles which the greasers have never ever heard

They work very difficult jobs. Ponyboy’s brother is a hardworking man who can barely afford their house. He works as a roofer. They have a reputation as bad people and robbers. Most people look at Greasers as trash. The can’t stand being next to a Greaser. They stereotype all Greasers as JD’s and hoodlums. That assumption is very wrong. Ponyboy is a very smart kid and excels at school. Whereas his brother Sodapop dropped out of school to work at a job to help pay for their house. Greasers live on the east side of the town where everything seems to be in older and poorer condition than the west side. Greasers work hard jobs and try their best to stay out of trouble.

Ponyboy explains how his group is more poor than the Socs. This shows that they are low class, and not likely to live in a civilized place. This also shows that they might not dress like normal kids, and act like normal kids, because they are low class people. The author writes (Hinton 31) on how the Greasers are neglected or unloved by their family. In other words,S.E. Hinton tells us that Johnny was often

At first, Ponyboy views the Socs as the rest of his gang viewed them: A vicious group of monsters. When he meets Cherry Valance, his view begins to change. He starts to talk to her, realizing that they have similar

The greasers struggle more than the Socs because people judge them before they get to know them, they have less money than the Socs , and they are targeted by them. Everyone in the greasers town judge them before they get to know the greasers true self. This evidence is persuasive because it shows that since the greasers already know that when people see them, they think they are hoods, because throughout all their life they have always been considered as hoods. Also, people will only treat the greasers like trash and will never see them as anything else in life. At the drive in theater Cherry and Dally have a little argument, in which Cherry says,” I wouldn’t drink it if I was starving in the desert.

When Cherry says that “things are rough all over,” she is trying to tell Ponyboy that he and the greasers are not the only ones that have problems in the world, Socs are just as much of a human as the greasers are. When Ponyboy mentions that, “Maybe it was the money that separated us,” (Hinton 38”) Ponyboy believes that since the money is what divides the two gangs up. Since socs had money and are on the west side of town, and the greasers are more poor, that is the reason that separates the two gangs. The Socs all have problems of their own, and they also have it rough. Randy, Bob’s friend, mentions that he is “Sick and tired of this (116)” and how “Bob was a good guy (116),” this is showing how not just the greasers are suffering. Ponyboy

In the story the Outsiders by S.E Hinton one of the main characters Ponyboy is a misunderstood, smart, teen that is not like the friends he hangs out with Johnny is part of the greasers who is treated cruelly at his home. Darry and Soda are pony's brothers, Darry makes Pony try his best at school and Soda stops a fight when both of them get into a fight. Set at his neighborhood where there is poverty and gang like groups that cause trouble in the neighborhood. Ponyboy has to live with his brothers, his only friends are the greasers the greasers are the poor kids and the socs are a group of rich kids who are against the greasers. Ponyboy is a kid who hangs with greasers he is an intelligent teen who lives in a poor neighborhood that is a bad

Class and society divides Ponyboy and Cherry. Although, when they are peaceful towards each other they get to know that they are similar in many ways. “Maybe the two different worlds we live in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset,” (49, Hinton). The theme of class and society in the book “The Outsiders” sends the message of how social division can create a

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the novel The Outsiders by S.E.Hinton, tells a story of two different social class groups who do not get along. The book shows then tension and fighting over the two groups, although the Greasers and Socs are just people, there is tension between them since the Socs jump the Greasers and the Socs have money. Ponyboy at the beginning doesn't think the Socs care and have problems but they truly do. When Ponyboy realizes that the socs have problems, he starts to understand them more and listen to them. This is why he wants to think of the socs as “just guys”. Ponyboy Curtis is the protagonist and narrator of The Outsiders. He is an interesting character in the way that he is not the typical greaser. Ponyboy, who is fourteen, lives with his brothers Darry and Sodapop since their parents died in an auto wreck. He likes to watch movies, read books, and participate in track. Also, Ponyboy's brother Darry was forced to give up his scholarship or Pony and Soda may have ended up in foster care. Ponyboy, the narrator, describes his physical appearance as “light-brown almost red hair and greenish-grey eyes, I wish they were more gray because I hate most guys that have green eyes. My hair is longer than most of the boys wear theirs squared off in the back and long at the front and sides, but I am a Greaser”. Throughout the novel, The Outsiders, Ponyboy Curtis proves through actions and thought to be intelligent, empathetic and courageous.