At the age of 16, S. E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders, a fictional novel set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1965, that exemplifies the truth of living outside of social acceptance. The story is told in the perspective of fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy is a greaser, along with his two older brothers and fellow gang members. Greaser, is a nickname for people classified in the lower class. Members of the upper communal populace, are labeled Socs, short for socials. The story describes the conflicts these two groups come across when they encounter each other and the struggle of living in devastating conditions. When Ponyboy and close friend Johnny Cade, are attacked by a set of Socs, Johnny ends ups killing a Soc in order to protect Ponyboy. This …show more content…
So I lay still, swearing at them between gasps. A blade was held against my throat.” A group of Socs had followed Ponyboy and jumped him. They beat him up, chucked him to the ground, and even held an edge to his throat region. There’s a strong possibility they could have killed him then and there if Ponyboy’s gang hadn’t saved him. They chose to purposefully harm a fourteen year old with a blade because he happened to be different from them and for their own enjoyment. Today, a problem school districts try to fight is discrimination and bullying. There are rules set in order to prevent this. Even if something like this went done today, there would be serious consequences. The Socs just ran away, with no problem. From this scene, I felt horrified and disgusted by the actions conducted by the Socs towards Ponyboy. The idea that just because you consider yourself above others, doesn’t give you the right to hurt them. In reality, they were all people, yet the Socs thought their actions were acceptable due to their social standing. There is more proof of the Socs characterization as menaces and monsters throughout the
He walks home alone despite knowing that it is very dangerous for greasers, a term used to call members of the, “East Side Gang,” of which he belongs in. Greasers put grease in their hair and keep their hair long, not bothering to get a haircut. Greasers walking alone attracts the attention of the Socs, a rich West Side crowd, and that’s exactly what happened to innocent Ponyboy. This is why greasers often carry switchblades, mainly to stay though and stand their ground against the Socials, another name you can use to call the Socs. Although, Ponyboy doesn’t get involved into the foolishness and mischief that the rest of the gang members do, especially because Darry would kill him if he were to get into trouble. Going back, as Ponyboy was walking down the street, he observed a red Corvair following him in his direction. He accelerated his pace as he knew that members of the Socs would be in there, ready to do something horrible to him. With all this thinking, Ponyboy remembered how severely hurt his friend, Johhny had gotten after being beaten up by them. The car then pulls up beside Ponyboy in no time, and the 5 Socs get out of the car, surrounding Ponyboy at all
On April 24, 1967, S.E. Hinton published the book The Outsiders. Then sixteen years later director Francis Ford Coppola’s movie version of The Outsiders was released on March 23, 1983. The book is about a young boy named Ponyboy who lives with his two older brothers because his parents were killed in a automobile accident. Ponyboy goes through a lot of tough times because he is a part of this group known as the Greasers. The Greasers are a group that are known for being from the poor side of town and the Socs are the rich kids on the other side of town. Throughout the entire book the two groups kept fighting and then something terrible happened that changed Ponyboy’s life forever. The movie and book have many differences
“ We get jumped by the Socs. I'm not sure how you spell it, but it's the abbreviation for the Socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids” (Hinton 4). Even I could feel their hatred. They used to be buddies, I thought, they used to be friends, and now they hate each other because one has to work for a living and the other comes from the West Side. They shouldn't hate each other... I don't hate the Socs any more... they shouldn't hate…(Hinton 120). Ponyboy and the gang get judged throughout the story because of their social class, yet the Socs are given breaks because they have
Johnny said, “‘I killed him ... killed that boy,’” (56). Johnny was explaining to Ponyboy that he was nervous and killed Bob in an anxious manner. Bob was trying to kill Ponyboy by drowning him, so after Johnny he had fought for himself, he took his knife to Bob. Johnny protected Ponyboy by killing someone, he was loyal to his friend. Ponyboy learned in this situation that loyalty doesn't really have a limit, or that his family would go great heights to protect him.
After running for a while they stopped in another parking lot with a fountain in the middle. While in the parking lot a blue mustang that belonged to the Socs that beat up Johnny a long time ago pulled up. They stepped out and started to insult Johnny and Ponyboy, Ponyboy snapped back and they grabbed him and shoved his head in the found as stated, “They grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, and shoved my face into the fountain. I fought, but the hand at the back of my neck was strong and I had to hold my breath. I’m dying, I thought, and wondered what was happening to Johnny.” This showed that those Socs were even going to kill them just because they talked back, but they were also drunk which also shows how dangerous drunk Socs are. To save Ponyboy Johnny had to kill the Soc and afterwards they both had to run out of town to avoid being arrested. This changed Ponyboys identity into a outlaw.
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel written by S.E. Hinton tells the story of two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs, and the conflicts they face in their daily lives. This essay will focus on the character of Ponyboy and will explore his journey toward self-discovery and the challenges he faces as a member of the Greasers. In "The Outsiders," Ponyboy shows how your life can be affected by your background. This essay will examine how these things shape Ponyboy's life.
Have you ever wonder how to keep kids out of gangs? S.E Hinton is the author of The Outsiders a heroic story of friendship and belonging. The story is about a 14 year old boy named Ponyboy- a 14-year old boy who lives with his brothers. He has many problems that he has to face, but One of the most important and problems that he has to face is the socs a vicious gang and for fun they beat up greasers like ponyboy. Friends and family are the best things you can have in life shows, though many of the characters.
In the first scene of the film, Ponyboy exits a theatre to what looks like the city center area. As he begins his walk home a mustang filled with Socs see him walking and immediately start insulting him, telling him to wash the grease out of his hair. The torment does not stop there, they follow him throughout town, throwing scrap wood at him and chasing him down the street. It escalated to the point the Socs jump out of the car and takes him down, pointing a switchblade at his neck and cutting him. This type of harassment is normal for Greasers, which is why they never should walk alone. This scene is an example of victim precipitation theory. Ponyboy is an adolescent male with a poor upbringing walking alone, even in broad daylight, he is considered an easy target for the Socs and they know they can get away with it. Another example is when Ponyboy and Johnny decide to run away together, they were spotted by the Socs who had been drinking and looking for easy targets.
To begin with, Johnny stabs Bob, the Soc, with his switchblade because Bob was about to brutally beat Johnny up with his rings on his bare hands and his hurtful words from his crude, deceptive mouth. Johnny also stabs Bob because Bob’s gang was trying to drown Ponyboy, so if he was able to stab Bob then his nasty and cruel gang would leave Ponyboy alone. When Johnny stabs Bob, his plan ends up working and the other socs runaway because they got frightened at the sight of Johnny stabbing and killing their what used to be alive friend. “ I killed him, he said slowly. I killed that boy. (56)” Johnny says this to Ponyboy as he awakens; coughing up water from nearly being drowned by Bob’s gang. When the socs runaway they go and try to find police. Because of this, Johnny and Ponyboy now have to run away in order for them not to be caught and punished by
At the time, Johnny felt as though he was taking control of his life in the only way that he thought was possible. This single act of aggression followed a series of events that lead Ponyboy on a path of self-examination, where he began to question the reasons for conflict between the Socs and Greasers. As stated by Ponyboy, “A fair fight isn’t rough […]. Blades are rough. So are chains and heaters and pool sticks and rumbles. Skin fighting isn’t rough. It blows off steam better than anything” (Hinton). Such activities allow the teenagers to build characterization by releasing their endless supply of energy and pent-up aggression. Also, the novel demonstrates author inflicted violence or death and suffering when Johnny died from his severe injuries after he rescued children from a burning building. Johnny’s act of honorable sacrifice allowed Ponyboy and his friends to rise beyond their lives of gangs and violence. The senselessness of all the violence that occurred throughout the novel allowed teenagers to grow and develop a different perspective of the world. Ponyboy came
The 1967 novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is about the social outcasts; the Greasers and their rivalry against the high class Socs. In the beginning of the book the characters values and attitudes are revealed to the reader through the point of view of Ponyboy. As the book progresses and the lives of the characters take a turn for the worse there is a significant impact on the characters resulting in an alteration of their values and attitudes. Ponyboy, Dally and Johnny experience these changes due to the death of Bob the Soc and the chain of events that follow.
In the beginning of “The Outsiders”, Ponyboy only likes a few people but in the end, he realizes that he judged people unfairly. In the beginning, he only appreciated Johnny (the second youngest gang member), Soda (the middle child in his family) and Two-Bit (a wisecracking member of the gang). He dislikes Dallas (the most criminal of the gang) and Steve and thinks that his oldest brother, Darry, dislikes him. He also believes that all Socs are bad. His judgments are first brought into question when he meets Cherry Valence, a female Soc. Ponyboy, referring to her and her friend wrote, “It seemed funny to me that Socs -if these girls were any example - were just like us.” (37) Pony’s views on the Socs evolve again when he talks to Randy. After talking to Randy, Pony thinks, “Socs are just guys after all. Things are rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too." (118) By the end of the novel, Pony does not think all Socs are good because there are Socs like Bob, who jumped Johnny and Pony, but he realizes that people should be
The Outsiders is a young adult novel written by S.E. Hinton. The book was first published in 1967 by The Viking Press. Today, the book is published under Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group. The book has a total of a hundred and eighty pages. The Outsiders fits in the genre of young-adult fiction because it relates to teens on emotional levels. Like Ponyboy, the teen protagonist of the story, teens relate to his emotional growth as he tries to piece his life together. The story follows a rivalry in a socially divided community. The Greasers are a gang of teenage boys who live on the east side of town; the wrong side of town. Their rivals, the Socials, better known as the Socs; come from the wealthier side of town. The two groups are always head to head with one another, seeking a fight. Ponyboy belongs to the Greasers. He is the youngest out of the three brothers in his family. Apart from his brothers, Ponyboy hangs out with Johnny, Dallas, Two-Bit and others who are also Greasers. The rivalry between the two groups heightens when Johnny kills Bob, a Soc, in an attempt to save Ponyboy from drowning. In this book report, I will go through the meaning of this book and my opinion on the story itself.
While reading The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, I felt as if I took a time travel to the 1960’s. The book clearly gives an insight to the past. Unlike other book, The Outsiders has its own unique meaning. The author created something different than a modern clique book that I read in my day to day life. Hinton’s word choice creates an interesting book where it felt as if it was non-fiction than young-adult fiction. I like this book because the author made something extraordinary by stating the past rather than another author’s writing twenty-first century book.
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.