Character Change In Hinton's The Outsiders

With his long greasy hair and baggy worn out clothes he looked likes a bad kid, but the way he talked and the way he thought it was a whole different person inside of him. The Outsiders is about two rival gangs that fight and go through so much stuff to just to call the territory their own. It is the Socs versus Greasers. They always have their back up because you can't trust anyone, but at the end of the day is all the rubbles and fighting worth it? Ponyboy one of the greasers has a big character change during the book. In the beginning of the book Ponyboy was getting jumped by the Socs and he was acting all tough and defending himself, in the middle of the book he starts to break while he is in the church, and when the kids were stuck in

the fire Ponyboy was the first one to be nice and caring and jump in the burning church to help the kids. As that was going on it made him realize he ain't as tough as he been acting and maybe being a greaser isn't the best decision for him.
To begin, Ponyboy was always up to get all down and dirty with the gang because he acted tough and like a bad boy.

In the beginning of the book Ponyboy said, “Greasers can’t walk home alone too much or they’ll get jumped, or someone will come by and scream ‘Greaser’ at them, but I liked walking alone after movies” (Hinton, p. 2). Ponyboy was not afraid of walking home alone or of the Socs because he knew he had the gang and he was tough enough to act like he wasn’t scared of the Socs. Ponyboy is always smoking cigarettes even though he is only 14. “Jerry stared at me for a second. ‘You shouldn’t be smoking.’ I was startled. ’How come?’ Jerry stammered, ‘Uh you’re too young.’ ‘i am?’ Everyone in the neighborhood smoke, even the girls, smoked” (Hinton, p.97). This shows that he breaks rules whether he wants to or not he does what makes him tough in the

gang.
Next, Ponyboy starts to soften up.

This started to happen when he was in the church trying to hide away from the police because of the murder of one of the Soc’s. “I was trembling, and it wasn’t all from cold” (Hilton p.57). This shows that Ponyboy was scared, starting to break, and noticed that maybe this “hard bad boy” life isn't for him. Ponyboy put more and more thought about what it takes to be a greaser, which made him realize that maybe the gang life wasn’t good for him. “We were good fighters and could play cool, but we were sensitive and that isn’t a good way to be when you’re a greaser” (Hinton, p.88). Ponyboy is expressing that it is hard to be as strong as the other boys and sometimes he just couldn't or he couldn't be ok with what they were doing. “It drives my brother Darry nuts when I do stuff like that, ‘cause I’m supposed to be smart’ I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything, but I don't use my head” (Hinton, p.4). Ponyboy knows he has the potential to be something else and while being in hiding in the church it helps him realize that if he really wanted to he could be whatever he puts his mind

to.
Finally, Ponyboy changed for the better and started to become a better person and started treating people better. “ ‘ I will get them don’t worry!’ I started a dead run for the church, and the man caught my arm. ‘I’ll get them. You kids stay out!’ I jerked loose and ran on. All I could think was: We started it. We started it. We started it!” (Hinton, p.91) Ponyboy knew that he started so he felt like he had to do something. He risked his life to save the children that were full of fear in the burning church. “ ‘Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be…’ What was the matter with Two-Bit? I knew as well as he did that if you got tough you didn't get hurt. Get smart and nothing can touch you…’What in the world are you doing?’ Two-Bit's voice broke into my thoughts. I looked up at him. ‘Picking up the glass.’ He stared at me for a second, then grinned. ‘You little sonofagun,’ he said in a relieved voice. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I just went on picking up the glass from the bottle end and put it in a trash can. I didn't want anyone to get a flat tire” (Hinton, p.171-172). Ponyboy was acting tough when the Socs came up to him, he cracked a glass bottle so that it would scare the Socs away. Once they left Ponyboy wasn’t ok with just leaving the bottle there because he is a nice. He sat there and cleaned up the glass so know no one’s car would be damaged