Overcoming Obstacles in The Outsiders and The Time Traveler

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One of life’s most memorable moments is learning to ride a bike. At first, nothing in the world could seem more difficult and scary. To move past the safety of training wheels is terrifying; it’s comfortable without knowing how. Learning to ride is the same, if not worse. It’s wobbly, falling countless times is inevitable. The fact that the bicycle could stand up straight on just two wheels is insane! Though it takes tremendous amounts of hard work, the end result is worth it. Sooner or later, riding a bike is easy! The Outsiders tells the story of 14 year old Ponyboy Curtis,and his struggle with right and wrong in a society in which he is an “outsider”. As Ponyboy, the lower-class gang of "greasers" battle the "Socs," the rich kids, they learn about overcoming the obstacles in their life, which all revolve around social class. Throughout the story, Ponyboy goes through many obstacles including the death of several of his closest friends. He learned that it shouldn’t matter where someone lives, or what amount of money they have. The Time Machine, describes a man who traveled to the year 802,701, where he met two groups of creatures: the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi were small creatures who lived above the ground in crumbling buildings. They were shiftless and not very bright, but they were content. He rescued and befriended a particular Eloi named Weena. However, after learning that his time machine had been stolen, he discovered another group, the Morlocks. These creatures lived below ground in tunnels. The Morlocks were sinister and mischievous. The Time Traveller needed to get his machine back so he could take Weena back home with him, but instead, they were attacked by Morlocks. Throughout the battle, Weena was killed,...

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...e away. Even when he made it into the future, and his time machine disappeared, he stayed calm and had faith in himself. He learned this “alien language”, and always kept trying. All it takes is the first step, and the world is at your fingertips. Riding a bike may seem terrifying before you know how, but once you can make it down the street once or twice, the rest will fall into place.

Works Cited

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 1967. Print.

Smith, Johanna M. "Outsiders: Class, Gender and Nation." Literature Resource Center. Gale, n.d. Web.
Summerville, Bruce D. "The Time Machine: A Chronological and Scientific Revision."Literature Resources from Gale. Gale, n.d. Web

Sutherland, Zena. "The Teen-Ager Speaks." Literature Resources from Gale. Gale, n.d. Web.

Wells, H. G. The Time Machine. Comp. Melvin Burgess. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.

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