Analysis Of Groups In S. E. Hinton's Book 'The Outsiders'

Outsiders Essay
For as long as we can remember, society has always been split up into classes or groups. Most of the time, they are based upon factors similar to wealth and money. Even if one group has more money than the other, are they really all that different? In S.E Hinton’s book, The Outsiders, there is constant tension between the two main groups of people, the Greasers and the Socs. The Greasers live in the poor side of town, where there isn’t as much money and there are generally lots of gangs and criminal activity. The Greasers are generally stereotyped to be the hoodlums and troublemakers. The Socs, however, are the complete opposite. They live in the wealthier side of town, where there is a lot of money, cool cars, and great schools.

This is not uncommon for greasers. Almost all of the boys in Ponyboy’s gang look to each other for family because they have no other choice. Ponyboy clearly feels that this is unfair. For example, when he is talking to Cherry about her spying on the other Socs to help the Greasers, he says, “Do you think your spying for us makes up for the fact that you’re sitting there in a Corvette while my brother drops out of school to get a job? Don’t you ever feel sorry for us. Don’t you ever try to give us handouts and then feel high and mighty about it” (129). Ponyboy reacts this way because he feels that it’s unfair that his family has no money and has to work so hard for themselves while Socs just sit back and relax. However, even though the Socs have more money and parental support, that comes with additional conflict for them to deal with. Socs have so much support that they are reckless. For example, when Randy is talking to Pony about Bob’s relationship with his parents, he says, “They took all the blame and didn’t do anything to him. If his old man had belted him - just once, he might still be alive” (116). Bob’s home life shows that all the freedom and support that Bob’s parents gave him resulted in him doing stupid things that got him killed. These two examples show how Greasers and Socs are on opposite sides of

As a result, the boys all look to each other for family. They will do anything for each other. One example is shown when Pony tells, “Our front door is always unlocked in case one of the boys is hacked off at his parent’s and needs a place to cool off” (105). This is one of the many examples that show how strong the bond is between greasers. The Socs don’t have this bond with any of their friends because they don’t need it. For example, during the incident that killed Bob, Johnny tells Pony, “They ran when I stabbed him. They all ran” (57). Johnny saw the Socs all leave the scene to protect themselves instead of helping Bob. If a Greaser was in Bob’s situation, there is no doubt that the rest of the Greasers would have stayed and fought for their buddy, no matter what. The Socs may never have to experience the struggles of poverty, but they are definitely missing out on knowing the feeling of comfort that comes with the bond the Greasers have built together. This shows how the same problems that the Greasers find so unfair, provided them with something so valuable that even the Soc’s money can’t