Character Analysis Essay On The Outsiders

All people are influenced by other people's opinions or thoughts. When we hear someone’s thinking, we tend to consider it, especially if we are in denial or reconsidering something. In the novel, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, some characters make Ponyboy realize that Socs are no different than the Greasers and there is no need to fight. Their thoughts and opinions affect the way Pony looks at things. Although there are several characters that talk to him and make him rethink his opinions, there were three main influencers: Randy, Johnny, and Cherry. Randy and Johnny allow Pony to recognize that fighting is useless, and Cherry lets him see that Socs are very similar to Greasers. These characters help Pony understand that we are all the same

and fighting will not solve anything.
A Soc that acts different than the others talks to Ponyboy twice--one time in a Mustang and the other time at his house when Pony was sick--who shows similarities to Pony. His name was Randy. Randy was supportive and he wanted to live in a normal world where there were no Socs, Greasers, or fighting, just like Ponyboy. At the Curtis house, Randy explains his feelings about fighting. He passionately states, “I’m sick of this. Sick and tired. Bob was a good guy. He was the best buddy a guy ever had. I mean, he was a good fighter and everything, but he was a real person too. You dig?” (116). Here, Randy explains how he believes that fighting is dumb and useless. He doesn’t want anyone else dying, like his friend, Bob, did. Randy knows that Bob was a real good guy, but when it came to fighting and alcohol, he got very risky and crazy. This makes Ponyboy realize that Bob was usually a normal person when he was not involved in fights. Pony used to think of him as a bad guy, no matter what. Randy’s conversation opens up his mind to realize that Socs are normally well behaved, but sometimes, just like Greasers, they can act up.
In that same conversation, Randy also says, “And tonight... people get hurt in rumbles, maybe killed. I’m sick of it because it doesn’t do any good. You can’t win, you know that, don’t you?” (116-117). Randy continues to express and prove his feelings about rumbles. He explains that rumbles do no good and they do not change anything. People get murdered for no reason--nothing will change. Greasers will always remain to be poor and vulnerable and Socs will always be rich and mean. Randy knows this because he has probably fought in many of these rumbles, fooled into believing they will make a difference. Ponyboy understands that he is right, fights are no good. Nothing will change because of tonight; maybe people will lose their lives but that is all. This makes Ponyboy consider not fighting, but he eventually does for Johnny. Right after that, Randy supports his reason why he does not like rumbles.
Randy rants, “It doesn’t prove a thing.

So I’d fight if I thought it’d do any good. I think I’m going to leave town” (117). Randy keeps on explaining his opinion about the rumble tonight, and fighting overall, to Ponyboy. He states another reason why fighting is non profitable: “It doesn’t prove a thing.” Randy would fight if it was going to help or solve something, but it is not. From this, he decides that he is going to leave town so he can escape the danger and not be called a “chicken.” Pony comprehends that Randy is a nice guy who does not want to get involved in more deaths or injuries. He sees how Randy is different than the others in his gang. This whole conversation that Randy and Ponyboy has let Pony realize that there are nice sides of Socs-not all Socs are bad, but all fighters

are.
One of Pony’s close friends, Johnny, impacts him and his opinions. Johnny states many phrases in this book that allow Pony to realize new information about fighting. He learns things from Johnny that he never even thought of before. Johnny came from an abusive household, but he is very wise. When Johnny stabs Bob to death in the park, Pony gets terrified. Johnny’s calms him down by saying, “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade... they were gonna beat me up...” (57). Right after Johnny murdered Bob, Pony was dumbfounded-he could not even comprehend what had just happened. Here, Johnny tells Pony why he had to do it; he had to protect their lives. This makes Ponyboy realize that he had to do it; if he had a choice, he would not of, but he had to. Pony, later in the book, considers this information and wonders why he continues to fight even though there is no life threats. This thought flows right into my next paragraph.
Considering all of opinions on fighting that he has heard, Pony begins to question himself. He thinks, “Why do I fight? I thought, and couldn’t think of any real reason. There isn’t any real good reason for fighting except self-defense” (137). Throughout each chapter, Johnny talks to Pony and others about how he does not enjoy fighting. He claims the only good reason to fights is to protect yourself: self-defense. Because of all of this fighting going on, the rumble coming up and the stabbing, Ponyboy looks back on Johnny’s opinion about fighting. He considers this and wonders why he fights. He realizes Johnny’s thinking is right and it makes sense. Johnny only killed Bob to save Pony from drowning and himself from getting beat up too. Pony is finally understanding that fighting is bad and there is no need to unless your life's in danger.
Johnny talks to Pony and Dally when he is dying and tells the boys, “Useless... fighting’s no good...” (148). This simple line expresses a lot about Johnny. Being that this was some of his last words shows how much it meant to him. Right before this, Ponyboy and Dally run into his hospital room to tell him that they won the rumble against the Socs. Johnny’s response was this quote, which he said very enthusiastically. This was probably an unexpected answer for Dally and Pony-they were probably expecting something more happy and proud. Like stated before, this dialogue means a lot because the author could have chose something more meaningful for Johnny’s last words, yet she decided on this. This just shows that Johnny hated fighting with a passion, especially after his stabbing event. Dally and Pony react differently, but they were probably both confused. This makes Ponyboy realize that fighting is horrible and he should not do it anymore for Johnny’s sake. All of Johnny’s advice affects Ponyboy, making him think twice about fighting and all of its cons and nonexistent pros. Johnny plays a big role in this book because he says a lot of things that make Ponyboy realize new information about fighting.
Another character that makes Pony learn new things about the Socs and fighting is Cherry, a Soc. Cherry’s aggressive conversations with Ponyboy allow him to understand that the Socs are very similar to the Greasers. One of their first talks was sparked by Pony explaining Johnny’s incident with the Socs and their blue Mustang. Cherry replies with, “All Socs aren’t like that. You have to believe me, Ponyboy. Not all of us are like that. That’s like saying all you greasers are like Dallas Winston. I’ll bet he’s jumped a few people” (34). She informs Ponyboy that not all Socs are like the crazy, drunk guys. There are some, like her and Marcia, that are normal and nice. But, when some Socs get drunk, they get crazy and eager to fight. She also mentions in this conversation that not all Greasers are like Dally. This helps Ponyboy understand what she is trying to say because he knows that him and his friends are not crazy like Dally can be. Cherry helps him understand that they are all nice people on the inside, just like the Greasers are. Not all of them are rotten gang members.
After that quote, Cherry explains to him that he is wrong-not all Socs are like those guys who mugged Johnny and not all of them are spoiled rich. She informs him, “I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I’ll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you’ve never even heard of. You want to know something? Things are rough all over” (34). Cherry’s conversation with Ponyboy teaches him that Socs have it bad too. Just because they are the rich kids, does not mean that they do not experience issues throughout their life. This surprised Pony because he believes her since she is very truthful and kind to him. Ponyboy and the other Greasers have always thought that they “have it made.” Now, Ponyboy sees that they most likely deals with problems much different than theirs. They both have problems; they are both human.
The scene where Ponyboy asks Cherry to go see Johnny, she explains to him that he did not know all of Bob-only his bad side. She implies,“You only knew his bad side. He could be sweet sometimes, and friendly. But when he got drunk... it was that part of him that beat up Johnny” (128). She explains that Bob was not always this killer who went around in a blue Mustang with his colleagues picking fights with Greasers. Bob, when he was not drunk, could also be a sweet friend-that’s how Cherry saw him. Ponyboy only saw and knew his bad side. Pony, and probably the rest of the Greasers, all knew that side and never considered Bob to be sweet or caring. This makes Ponyboy realize that not all Socs were crazy killers, just like not all Greasers were like Dally’s aggressive side. He comprehends that they all, Greasers and Socs, have two sides: a good and a bad. Cherry allows Pony to realize that they can all be gentle. Because of Cherry, Pony learns that the Socs are not completely different the Greasers.
It is often argued that Ponyboy does not learn anything about the Socs or fighting from other people.

You may think that Ponyboy does not change his feelings on the two gangs and/or fighting. One cannot deny that Pony did not change his mind completely after Randy’s conversation with him before the big rumble. After talking about how fighting is not going to change their social status and the two gangs will go back to their regular rivalry, Ponyboy is still persuaded into going to the rumble. Two-Bit and Soda tell him that it will be fine- “Skin never hurt anyone,” says Soda. Then, Ponyboy goes to the rumble and beats up other people. “I’ll be okay... I’ll get a hold of a little one, okay” (134). While this may be true, Pony really displays how much he’s changed at the end of the novel. You can tell that he has developed a better understanding for the Socs and he has changed his mind about

fighting.
Ponyboy Curtis is definitely impacted by the conversations he’s had with three of the characters: Randy, Johnny, and Cherry. At the end of the novel, he realized that the Socs and the Greasers have more similarities than differences. Even though they live in different towns and face different challenges, they both deal with their own problems. Pony also learns that there is nothing good that you can get out of from fighting with each other. In the end, fighting is never a valid option. Because of these characters, Ponyboy learns new things that helps him live a better life. Although other people's opinions can anger us sometimes, they always help us see something new from another perspective. We should always consider people’s thoughts--for they might be right.