The novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton expresses how Ponyboy is okay to be different, even though he’s distinct from the other gang members because he’s intellectual, enjoys watching the sunsets, and performs heroic actions. When Ponyboy returns to school after the rumble, he finds several socs and changes his personality, recalling what Dally said to him, “Get smart and nothing can touch you” (171). While some greasers aren’t able to attend school and get a good education, Ponyboy is “smart” enough to get a college scholarship. Additionally, he has a path for his future laid out in front of him, and has more opportunities to support himself, make a living, and have a good lifestyle, unlike the other members of the gang. Also, he can use his intelligence to his advantage, so that “nothing can touch [him],” like knowing the effects of bursting out that Dally faced, and …show more content…
Just don’t forget that some of us watch the sunset too” (46). When Ponyboy says, “some of us watch the sunset too,” Ponyboy reveals how he appreciates and cherishes the pleasant moments in life and believes that not everything is terrible, although for some greasers it’s too late and they see with a hardened perspective. Furthermore, the text conveys, “aren’t in the same class,” which illustrates how even though the socs and greasers seem distinguished from each other due to their higher and lower social status, Ponyboy is open-minded and realizes that both groups share the same sun and see the same sights. Likewise, the text exhibits, “They’d never believe a greasy-looking mug could be a hero - y’all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn’t ‘turn’ all of a sudden” (107). In a stereotypical view, society labels greasers as hoods who commit crimes, rob stores, have violent behaviors and are looked down upon with a lower social
Throughout this novel, we could conduct that The Greasers and The Socs are not much different from each other than they appear to be. In the beginning, PonyBoy illuminates how The Greasers are seen on the outside. PonyBoy writes, “We're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an
Whenever people, Socs or greasers, saw Ponyboy’s clothes and hair they immediately made gruesome assumptions. Contrary to these assumptions, Ponyboy was really a sweet, respectful, and courteous young man. If they had stopped to listen to Ponyboy’s personality and manner of speech, they would have judged him much differently.
Ponyboy Curtis, the protagonist of S.E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders," is a complex and dynamic character. He is a member of the greaser gang, a group of working-class teens who are often at odds with a rival gang, the Socs. Despite his rough exterior, Ponyboy is a sensitive and intelligent boy who is struggling to find his place in the world. Ponyboy is intelligent and well-read, but he struggles with the expectationms placed on him by society. He is constantly torn between his loyalty to his gang and his desire to live a better life.
In the novel The Outsiders Ponyboy learns many things such as staying gold things are not how they seem and one's decisions can have a drastic affect on one's life. Ponyboy learns that they are alike in many ways and that the greasers and the socs are not that different. For instance when Randy comes up to Ponyboy in his Corvette and he starts talking about running
Ponyboy from “The Outsiders” has many characteristics, but just like any person there are good and bad ones with a few that really stand out to show what type of person Ponyboy is. The book, “The Outsiders” by S. E. Hinton is a coming of age fiction book that goes 2 weeks into the life of a 14-year-old boy, Ponyboy Curtis, in the mid 1960s. It shows Ponyboy and his gang going through society with two different social groups, the socs and greasers, and how he struggles with what's right and what's wrong when he feels like an outsider. Ponyboy can be arrogant and impulsive, however he makes up for it by being brave and thoughtful, showing us that he is a great representation of a loyal person that will do anything for his family and friends,
When Ponyboy was thinking about what the people in the gang do what they do, he assumed that Greasers and Socs are divergent. Ponyboy thinks to himself, “We deserve a lot of our trouble...both of them have too much energy, too much feeling, with no way to blow it off.” (Hinton 16) This quote has a deep meaning because it shows that the Socs choices are more narrow, displaying that when a Soc does something wrong, they could lose their fame and their luxury. On the other hand, the greasers have boundless choices because they have nothing to lose. They are already at the bottom, so most of the things they do, won’t really change what they already have.
What I believe Hinton was meaning when she titled this book The Outsiders would be that Ponyboy and his group were an outsider to the society. Greasers in general were an outsider to society. Ponyboy and his group were their own people, different than everyone else, they would do what they wanted, even if it meant
The Outsiders Final 5 Paragraph Essay In S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, two different gangs, the Greasers and the Socs detested each other. Using Ponyboy Curtis, the author demonstrates a Greaser’s opinion of the Socs. Ponyboy had an evolving conception of the Socs. At the beginning, he disliked the Socs because they are rich and he thinks they have no problems.
The only other character mentioned in The Outsiders who admires watching sunsets is Cherry Valance, therefore he really stands out. Ponyboy’s explanation of what most Greasers do is, “Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in awhile.” Despite his explanation, he doesn’t act like this at all. Ponyboy is unique because he wants to do something good in the world. In fact, he did- he wrote about something that was important to him.
Throughout the book, Ponyboy comes to understand that people are more complex than their superficial appearance or economic status might suggest. He learns to attempt to understand where others are coming from and to look beyond all the stereotypes and prejudices he had grown up with. This is particularly evident in his relationship with Cherry Valance, a Soc, whom he initially views as an adversary due to their differences in social class, but with whom he would eventually come to understand and even sympathize as the story progresses. This shows how Ponyboy learns the importance of empathy and understanding.
This line tells us how different the socs are to the greasers. It shows us the contrast of the 2 worlds that they live in with the socs living on the rich west side and the greasers on the poor east side. It also shows us how they are viewed as a whole and not as individuals because of where they live and how they grew
Ponyboy was genuinely upset about his hair, therefore he accepts his appearance as a greaser, as well. Ponyboy is negatively affected by the stereotype because he gets into multiple legal problems. He is forced to go to court because his friend, Johnny, killed a Soc named Bob. “Greasers can’t walk alone too much or they’ll get jumped, or someone come by and scream “Greaser!” at them, which doesn’t make you feel too hot, if you know what I mean” (2).
Ponyboy is a Greaser, but he’s not like the other boys in the gang. Ponyboy is independent, heroic, and intelligent. Ponyboy was quiet compared to most of the other boys in his gang. On pages 2 and 3, the book says, “I had a long walk home and no company, but I usually lone it anyway, for no other reason except that
He was also being humble. Greasers are used to gloating about their own accomplishments and actions. Ponyboy’s feelings and attitude towards the Socs changes throughout the novel. Ponyboy’s initial attitude towards the Socs was all about looking cool and tuff all the time. The forces behind Ponyboy’s change in attitude towards the Socs are the willingness of the Socs to show their softer side to him.
Clearly in this quote, Ponyboy is showing that he hopes that a moment in the day he, a greaser, wouldn’t be discriminated against because of his social class. In The Outsiders, everyone seems to have a different dream, not all having to do solely with equality, but nevertheless equality is a consistent theme in each