Common Theme Of Friendship In The Outsiders And The Help

With a Little Help from my Friends
In the books, The Outsiders and The Help, there is a common theme of friendship that is demonstrated throughout both books. The Outsiders has two different social groups; the Greasers and the Socs and the two groups do not get along because violence is the only way they have treated each other. The groups have the same values and goals in life: to go to college and be successful, however, they show their emotions and feelings differently, which sets them apart. The main character, Ponyboy, is trying to figure out his life and what he wants to do and be known for. He has had enough with being the group's violent to one another and wants there to be peace. The Help is about racial discrimination and how the white bosses treat their black help like nothing, when whites can

get anything they want with the money they have and their social status. However, the blacks are considered lower than them and not worthy of good jobs that pay well. Skeeter Phelan wants people to understand life from the point of view of the help, and being the amazing writer she is, she writes a whole book on stories of how the bosses treat their help from the maid’s point of view. The city of Jacksonville, Mississippi is taken aback of how poorly the help are treated just because of the color of their skin, and they start to realize how everyone is a person that has feelings and emotions, no matter what they look like. Two books, The Outsiders and The Help, both contain the abstract subject of friendship by different groups, racial and social, coming together to make a difference. In The Outsiders, the two social groups come together through violence and the loss of people close to them. In The Help, the two races come together because people communicated their side of the story and the community listened.
In the book, The Outsiders, friendship is an important characteristic because there are so many relationships in the book that depend on one being there for one another and being able to have a trustworthy person in their life.

Ponyboy feels this way about his good friend Johnny who is always there for Pony whenever he needs to rant about his problems in life. Ponyboy is ranting to Johnny about his brother

Darry:
It was Darry. He hit me. I don’t know what happened, but I couldn’t take him hollering at me and hitting me too. I don’t know...sometimes we get along okay, then all of a sudden he blows up on me or else is naggin’ at me all the time. He didn’t use to be like that...we used to get along okay...before Mom and Dad died. Now he just can’t stand me. (Hinton 60)
Johnny is the best person in Ponyboy’s life to talk to because Johnny goes through worse at home but he still always listens to Pony and is empathetic to his problems. Pony and Johnny have different goals that they want to achieve in life, however, their friendship works because they are supportive of one another. Ponyboy is there for Johnny when he kills a Soc named Bob who tries to drown Pony. Pony could have left Johnny to deal with the murder by himself, but friendship is about sticking with someone through the rough times. In the end, Johnny was the one who was comforting Pony even though he had just murdered someone. Johnny and Pony are a team when they try to find a solution out of the mess they are in:
Johnny looked around, slapping his pockets nervously. “We gotta get outa here. Get somewhere. Run away. The police’ll be here soon.” I was trembling, and it wasn’t all from the cold. But Johnny, except for the fact that his hands were twitching, looked as cool as Darry ever had. “We’ll need money. And maybe a gun. And a plan.”
Johnny is taking took control of this situation and doing the best he can to make sure he and Ponyboy do not get caught. He is being a fantastic friend because he is putting Pony’s safety before his. Friendship is also depending on one another for love and support, and Pony and Johnny are doing a decent job for fourteen-year-old boys who just committed murder. The main characters in the book, The Outsiders are good examples of how friendship is an important characteristic in order to trust and be dependent on the people close to them.
In the book The Help, friendship is a difficult relationship to have in the time period the book is in, but hidden friendships make the book amazing.

For example, there were rebellious characters who chose to be friends with a person of a different race, which was highly looked down in society and was breaking laws. Skeeter Phelan is one of the most rebellious characters in the novel, by having a secret friendship with her best friend’s help, Aibileen. She and Aibileen write a book of short stories told from the point of view of the help and they have to keep it a secret while they write it because the two women could get in huge trouble if society knew that a white and black were working together. The two inspiring women start off their

friendship:
“But how I know you ain’t gone get mad, turn around on me?” “I don’t...I guess you’ll just have to...trust me.” I hold my breath, hoping, waiting. There is a long pause. “Law have mercy. I reckon I’m on do it.” “Aibileen.” My heart is pounding.”You have no idea how much I appreciate-” “Miss Skeeter, we gone have to be real careful.” (Stockett 121).
Aibileen is very uncomfortable at first because she is not used to talking to her boss’s best friend, especially because she is white. Skeeter does not necessarily see why it is such a big deal because it is just two women having a conversation, but in the time period the book is set in and the society’s judgments, makes it a big deal. There are also fake friends that exist in the book, for example, Miss Hilly who uses Skeeter for her writing abilities so she can have the best newsletter for her social club. She treats her awfully and does not care about Skeeter’s life, and their friendship is all for show. When Skeeter writes the book, there is a story from her maid, Minny Jackson, telling about how awful a boss Miss Hilly is and how poorly she was treated. Miss Hilly gets furious with Skeeter and she blames the awful reputation she has caused for herself because of the way she treats people, on Miss Skeeter who has nothing to do with Hilly’s reputation. She comes to Skeeter’s house and starts getting furious:
“And don’t think I’ve forgotten Minny Jackson. I have some big plans for that Nigra.” “Careful, Hilly,” I say through my teeth. “Don’t give yourself away now.” I sound so confident, but inside I’m trembling, wondering what these plans are. She turns and marches to her car. She jerks the door open. “You tell those Nigras they better keep one eye over their shoulders. They better watch out for what’s coming to them.” (Stockett 423).
Miss Hilly is threatening Skeeter because she is scared of what will happen next to her, and is taking it out on an innocent person who does not deserve it. Skeeter stands up for herself, which is a huge deal since Hilly has walked all over her in their previous friendship that no longer exists. Friendships serve as great purposes so two people can rely on one another and put all their trust in them, or as an awful purpose like to be used and mistreated in the book The Help.
These two books contain the characteristic of companionship, and why it is important to have people close by through the rough times in life. Having friends is not about popularity, it is about true people who understand and empathize. Friendship is about good memories, hilarious laughter, and positive decisions, and both books emphasized this through characters. In The Outsiders, it is all about sticking through the good and the bad together and being a safety net for those who need it. In The Help, it is about befriending someone no matter what the color of their skin is, and staying true to who you are.