Family In The Outsiders, By S. E. Hinton

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Trisha Ghotra pd. 1 Family and Blood Are Not Always the Same Family. It is something that everyone needs, yet many do not have. However, family does not always mean blood, family can be anyone. This idea plays a big role in The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, a story about teenage gangs in the early 1960s Oklahoma. Narrator Ponyboy belongs to a gang - consisting of his two brothers, Darry and Sodapop, and his friends - Johnny, Dallas, Steve and Two-Bit. They all struggle with the hardships of growing up without a proper family, but have made their own - a gang which they call the greasers. Ponyboy is inexperienced and young at the beginning of the book, but events in the novel such as fights with other gangs and the deaths of two members of his …show more content…

When Ponyboy, in the beginning of the rumble, takes on a Soc much larger than him, Darry comes to his aid: “The Soc, who was heavier than I took him for, had me pinned and was slugging the sense out of me… But Darry was keeping an eye out for me; he caught that guy by the arm and lifted him up before knocking him three feet with a sledge-hammer blow” (Hinton 144). Though, due to his strong build, Darry is a prime target for the Socs and runs the risk of being jumped any second, he still comes to help Ponyboy, showing that a greaser will risk his own safety in order to help the members of his gang in times of need. This is also shown when Dallas comes to the rumble. He is still slightly injured, having just escaped from the hospital to join the rumble, so Ponyboy decides to help him out, just as Darry did to him: “I decided it would be fair for me to help Dally since he only had one arm” (Hinton 144). While doing this, Ponyboy also compromises his own safety by pinning a Soc down as Dallas beats the Soc up: “Dally was slugging him [the Soc], and I hung on desperately, although that other Soc was kicking me and you'd better believe it hurt” (Hinton 145). Ponyboy is helping Dallas, but is also getting severely hurt in the process. However, Dallas is said to have been Ponyboy’s least favorite of the greasers, showing that all animosity is put to the side when it is time to protect your greaser family. The rumble showed exactly how far greasers are willing to go to protect each

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