The Call Of The Outsiders And Greasers

Have you ever noticed in “The Outsiders” the differences and the similarities between the Greasers and the Socials? Well I will be explaining and showing why the Socials and Greasers are different and why they are the same. I will also be giving evidence supporting Ponyboys thought that Greasers and Socials are the same.

“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”.

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.

Ponyboy Curtis - The novel's fourteen-year-old narrator and protagonist, and the youngest of the greasers. Ponyboy's literary interests and academic accomplishments set him apart from the rest of his gang. Because his parents have died in a car accident, Ponyboy lives with his brothers Darry and Sodapop. Darry repeatedly accuses Ponyboy of lacking common sense, but Ponyboy is a reliable and observant narrator. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy struggles with class division, violence, innocence, and familial love. He matures over the course of the novel, eventually realizing the importance of strength in the face of class bias.

“For thugs from the ghetto, violence is a way of life - it’s what helps you survive.” The Socs and the Greasers were two gangs in The Outsiders. Throughout the novel these two gangs had a continuous rivalry. These two gangs were viewed differently by society. The Socs as rich kids and the Greasers as poor kids.

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

Last but not least, Ponyboy faces the society’s impression of the greasers. Everybody thinks that they are hoods and that nothing good can come out of them. The greasers are judged strongly because of their economic status and face judgment from everyone. Nobody cares to understand their life and what experience on a daily basis. He also finds out when he was in Windrixville, that people don’t judge them like they do in their city. The whole conflict of the story is the Greasers and the Socs. The characters in the story have gone about their own ways to at least try to fix the problem. Many chose fighting and violence in general, but Ponyboy choose to write a book for a writing assignment. He discovers that there is no difference between them

The Greasers and the Socs' Are two rival gangs who try to claim there place in a small town. Throughout the book and movie an interesting twist occurs, Ponyboy runs away and meets with Johnny Cade, they walk throughout a vacant lot and didn't expect to see the Socs' and their blue Mustang . This is when the interesting twist occurs one of the greasers called Bob had tried to drown Ponyboy and Johnny having no choice, killed him with a switch blade. The movie had quite a turn as it included different details.

Have you ever had a vision in your head of how you would like things to be, but then reality and expectations change that vision? Many people can relate to this, especially some of the characters from the greasers and socs in the outsiders. The first person I think everyone that has read the book can see this relates to the most is Darry. Before his parents died I don't think he ever would've seen himself taking care of his two younger brothers, or giving up his opportunity to go to college to give his youngest brother a chance at a better life, but because of expectations he must feel it’s his responsibility. Another person that expectations has played a big role in their life is Bob. Bob’s character is seen to have had the perfect life. He has the popularity, the looks, a good education, and he’s immune to trouble. All the expectations of a soc. But throughout the book you see how many of his actions are because of people's expectations towards him, and you start to wonder if his life was as perfect as it seemed. The last person who’s life has been affected by expectations is Ponyboy. Ponyboy is a very smart kid and is the least likely to have been seen as a greaser. He’s always been a good kid but since his parents died his expectations and priorities have increased greatly. This is how expectations have played a role in the socs and greasers lives and actions externally and internally.

Throughout the book, Ponyboy has a strong friendship with his friend, who is also a Greaser, named Johnny. Johnny is such a good friend, he kills a person from another gang called the Socs that was trying

Along the way, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny learn many things about life. This story was made into a book and movie but the book’s characters are far more superior. Many characters that show this are Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Johnny. First of all, Pony is much better in the book than the movie.

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

a very handy pacifier for him such as: When he thought he might go to

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

he is the narrator of the book. Johnny, one of Ponyboy’s best friend who is with Ponyboy