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…
gang mature him by the end. Throughout the story, the author describes many symbolic events which show the strong, brotherly bond between the members of the greaser gang. In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton uses three significant events - the church fire, the rumble, and Johnny’s death - to show that with the greasers, family does not always mean blood. The church fire incident shows the length that the greasers are willing to go to protect each other. When Ponyboy runs into a burning church in order to save schoolchildren trapped inside, Johnny runs after him to help. “Johnny was already out and following me, so I figured I was safe” (Hinton 90), Ponyboy narrates as he runs towards the church. Johnny knows that going into a building on fire is reckless and could possibly get him killed. Even so, he runs after Ponyboy to help him, as they have a better chance of coming out alive if they work together. After the two boys run into the church, Dallas shows that he cares more for Ponyboy and Johnny than for the schoolkids when he yells something at Ponyboy while standing outside: “Dally was standing there, and when he saw me he screamed, ‘For Pete’s sake, get outta there! The roofs gonna cave in any minute. Forget about those blasted kids!’” (Hinton 93). This shows that underneath his cold exterior, Dallas truly does care for the members of his gang, and no one else. Furthermore, when Dallas sees that Johnny is in danger, he runs into the church as well. This is shown just before Ponyboy goes unconscious: “Then I heard Johnny scream, and as I turned to go back for him, Dally swore at me and clubbed me across the back as hard as he could, and I went down into a peaceful darkness” (Hinton 93). Dallas has already shown that he cares more about members of his gang than the schoolchildren, and Ponyboy is already outside the church by this point, so readers know that Dallas has gone inside just to save Johnny. This shows where Dallas’ love truly lies - with Johnny. The church fire scene greatly impacts Johnny, Dallas and Ponyboy, and shows that they will put their lives at risk in order to ensure each others safety. The rumble was the climax of the novel, and was a prime example of how the greasers protect each other like family in times of danger.
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
other. The death of Johnny, a member of the greasers, shows how vital each member of the greasers is to the gang. When Johnny dies, Dallas finally cracks. He lets his cold and tough exterior crumble, and the love he has for Johnny truly shows then. This causes him to end his own life: Dally raised the gun, and I thought: You blasted fool. They don't know you're only bluffing. And even as the policemen's guns spit fire into the night I knew that was what Dally wanted. He was jerked half around by the impact of the bullets, then slowly crumpled with a look of grim triumph on his face. He was dead before he hit the ground. But I knew that was what he wanted, even as the lot echoed with the cracks of shots… I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted. (Hinton 154) Dallas commits a form of suicide referred to as ‘suicide by cop’, by waving his bluff gun at the police, causing them to shoot at him, which ends up killing him. However, this is what he wants, because Johnny was one of the only people Dallas truly cared about. Without Johnny alive, Dallas sees no point in still living. The rest of the greasers, as well, are as upset by the tragedy. This is shown by their reactions when Ponyboy tells them about the tragedy: “There was a stricken silence… Soda made a funny noise and looked like he was going to start crying. Two-Bit’s eyes were closed and his jaw was clenched” (Hinton 152). This shows that all the greasers, even the ones who have not had many interactions with Johnny that are shown in the book, still care for him, depicting that all of the greasers are very close with each other. Ponyboy has his own way of dealing with the sorrow. He goes into denial, telling himself that Johnny is not, in fact, dead, claiming that “Johnny was dead. But he wasn't. That still body back in the hospital wasn't Johnny. Johnny was somewhere else… He isn't dead, I said to myself. He isn't dead. And this time my dreaming worked. I convinced myself that he wasn't dead” (Hinton 150). The trauma from seeing one of his greaser brothers die is so great that he decides to kid himself into believing that Johnny is not dead in order to push the pain and sorrow away. Johnny’s death shows how, in the greaser gang, the death of one of the greasers was like losing a member of the family. In The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton’s use of symbols depicts that with the greasers, family does not always mean blood. The novel portrays poor youth with broken families bonding together to form their own: a gang which they call the greasers. Through good and bad times, their bond has become strong, and for some, it is stronger than the one that they have with their original families. In the world today, many people face the same problems as the greasers: having to live with abusive families, or families that do not care about them, but follow in the footsteps of the gang by forming their own families, aside from the ones created by blood. Works Cited: Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 1967. Print.
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a well explained novel about two rival gangs who feel only hate for each other. However, the gang gives them a home and develops true loyalty. Dallas Winston, a tough and rugged greaser best shows that one single character is able to have two completely opposing personalities. Dally is a wanted delinquent for many different crimes but is truly devoted to his own gang.
The Greasers win, but when Dally and Pony go to tell Johnny that they won, he dies during their visit. Dally is destroyed by this and later he calls Pony to tell him that he robbed a store and is being chased by the cops. They hurry to meet him, and see him shot down after he pulls a gun on the police. Pony is scared by what has happened, and convinces himself that he, not Johnny, killed the Soc. He is also afraid that Social Services will take him and Soda away from Darry and into a foster home.
The Outsiders and The Wednesday Wars deal with misunderstandings among young people in the 1960’s and show how people can form friendships despite their differences. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about two rival gangs, the Greasers and Socs. Ponyboy Curtis and some Greasers befriend Cherry Valance, a Soc. She spies on the Socs and helps out the Greasers. Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny Cade, become involved with the killing of a Soc, so they run away to an abandoned church. When the church catches on fire, Ponyboy, Johnny, and their friend Dallas Winston, save a few children who were trapped in the burning building. Johnny gets injured during the process and later dies. The boys are mentioned in the newspaper as heroes. The
Darry is really sensible when it comes to Ponyboy because from the perspective of a reader you would think he's such a bad brother because he hits Ponyboy and is always strict and scolds him it's all out of the love for him so he does not turn out a bad kid like Dally and you could see in the quote that Dally was sincere for his actions. When Ponyboy got hurt badly from the church fire when he came back he stated “Suddenly I realized, horrified, there were tears running down Darry’s cheeks, he didn't make a sound but tears were running down his cheeks.” (page 98) This shows that behind the scolding and being strict Darry was so sad and worried for Ponyboy and his emotions got out when he saw him all bandaged up and in the hospital. To follow up on that, Darry states “Oh Pony, I thought we lost you like mom and dad.” (Page 98) This is a huge quote because Darry thought Ponyboy died and he got really sad because of that and he thought his youngest brother and his parents died and if that did happen
The book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, follows a horrific part of the life of a boy named Ponyboy Curtis. He is what you might call a Greaser, and has had a rough go at it in his life compared to others. It is difficult, but Ponyboy somehow manages to be himself and has the tenacity to stick through it all. He is in a gang with his friends and family and they are loyal to one another no matter what. A rival gang from the Socs crowd, a richer, more refined group, send him and his pals into a whirlwind of trouble and hurt. This book shows on multiple occasions that perseverance is necessary to get through life .
The Outsiders, an enthralling novel by S.E Hinton, is an excellent story about the hardships and triumphs experienced by the Greasers and the Socs two rival gangs. S.E Hinton tells a thrilling tale about the Socs and the Greasers that are two gangs and she characterize how they live. Ponyboy, his brother and his friends have to deal with the challenges relating to their environment. The three most important topics of The Outsiders are survival, social class and family support.
This story is about a young boy of 14 named Ponyboy. He is part of a hood group called Greasers on the east side of town, a group of lower-class teenagers who wear their hair long and greasy, wear jeans and ripped-up T-shirts, and are at odds with the rich-kid bullies known as the "Socs". This group of hoods are born into rich families from the west side of town, are of a high "social" class, drive around in Mustangs and Corvairs, and mostly wear checkered jackets with a madras on them. One day, as Ponyboy is walking home from a movie, he is jumped by a gang of Socs. At the last minute, his buddies from his group (made up of his brothers Darry and Sodapop, who raised Ponyboy now that their parents are dead, the hardened hood Dally Winston, quiet innocent Johnny, and wise-cracking Two-Bit) scare off the socs and rescue him. The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny join Dally to go looking around for a good fight and maybe catch a movie. There they sit behind two attractive young girls and Dally attempts to obnoxiously get their attention and pick one up. After Johnny tells him to stop, Johnny and Ponyboy sit with the girls, Cherry and Marcia, and Ponyboy and Cherry discover to their mutual surprise that they have a great deal in common. Two-bit appears, and the three greasers walk the Socs girls back to Two-Bit's house so that he can drive them home. On the way, they run into Bob and Randy, the girls' drunken boyfriends and the socs that beat up Johnny a couple years ago, and the girls agree to leave with them in order to prevent a fight between the two gangs. On his way home Ponyboy takes a stop by the vacant lot with Johnny and accidentally drifts off. When he wakes up and goes home his brother Darry angrily lectures him on what could have happened and slaps him. Then he runs out the door, finds Johnny, and goes to the park to get away from things. There, however, the two young greasers run into Randy and Bob, with a few of their Soc friends. One of them holds Ponyboy's head under an ice cold fountain, and Ponyboy blacks out. When he comes to, he is lying on the ground next to Johnny.
In the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy, along with his brothers and friends, has to face the daily struggles of being a greaser among the Socs. This fiction book focused on Ponyboy’s life and the problems he ran into with the Socs. He and his gang of friends had fights with the Socs that happened often, and had to deal with a Soc being killed by one of the Greasers, though it was an act of self defense. The three topics addressed in this intriguing novel are the fight between rich and poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.
Through the development of the story impression of belonging seems to lack however despite these challenges through perseverance and support from other members of the gang they expand their grasp on belonging. At the start of the outsiders Ponyboy mentions “I lie to myself all the time but i never believe me” In this extract it is clearly displayed through the tone of disbelief that ponyboy being the youngest of the gang and his family he often feels removed and does not realize that later the people closest and the friendships you make are where you belong the highest. Subsequent to this event a metaphor used to describe Johnny “a little dark puppy kicked too many times” exposes that after his parents abused him he did not feel as though he had a family, nevertheless through friendship Johnny promptly discovered that he belonged and that was with the Greasers as they made him feel needed. Remarkably at the introduction of the story most gang members didn't feel as though they belonged but since The Outsiders coveys a bildungsroman it demonstrates that the characters are continually developing and maturing throughout the story.
The Outsiders is a novel by S.E Hinton, that follows a young boy named Ponyboy who grows up in a gang. Johnny, Sodapop and Darry help him find how he fits into the world and without them he would have a hard time finding his own identity. Without having a close group of friends he would have a tough way of life, especially with the Socs. Being in a group that you associate with, that have different values to yourself can lead you to disregard your own ethics and do things you wouldn’t normally do, but at the same time this can assist and reinforce your own values…
“Stitches” by David Small is a graphic novel where he visually describes his childhood. Small shows how he perceived his family relationships as a child and his own perspective of the world at the time. He clearly depicts his family’s dysfunctionality that prevented him the ability to display his self expression. Small encountered various events throughout his novel that added a different element to his understanding of relationships, specifically with his parents. As Small matured, these events played a critical role on his ultimate understanding of their complicated relationship.
This situation occurs when Darry states,“ ‘I don’t know if you ought to be in this rumble, Pony,’ ”(134). Although what Darry says is in concern of his little brother, for PonyBoy, the fight is more important than his health at the moment. When Ponyboy ends up passing out for three days from the fight with the Socs, it may show that this risk did not go well(157). But, in a sense, it helped Ponyboy get his anger out and free his mind for some time. Overall, it did not hurt Ponyboy to get knocked out. Johnny says this after he killed someone instinctively, “ ‘I killed him,’ he said slowly. ‘I killed that boy’ ”(56). Shortly after Johnny kills Bob the Soc to protect Ponyboy, he realizes what he has done. Whether or not this was a good decision, in the end he saved his friend from dying. In any case, this was self defense. To add on to events that were risks, these two were great
To begin with, the Greasers always stick together. For example, when Ponyboy, the main character, gets jumped, his friends are by his side in no time. “The Socs jumped up and left me there, gasping. I lay there and wondered what in the world was happening. Then someone had my under the armpits and was heaving me to my feet. It was Darry” (6). This shows honor because it proves that they value one another and sticking together. Ponyboy’s friends risked themselves by saving him.
The Outsiders is about the life of a 14-year-old boy. The book tells the story of Ponyboy “Curtis” and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. Ponyboy and his two brothers, Darrel (Darry), who is 20, and Sodapop, who is 16, have recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. Pony and Soda are allowed to stay under Darry's guardianship as long as they all behave themselves. The boys are greasers, a class term that refers to the young men on the East Side, the poor side of town. The greasers' rivals are the Socs, short for Socials, who are the "West-side rich kids."
The Outsiders Is a novel written by S. E. Hinton is about a gang of friends living in the ghetto and they are called Greasers. The main character is Ponyboy, a 14 year old boy who is living with his brothers Darry, who is 20, and Sodapop, who is 17. At a young age Ponys parents died and he’s living with his older brothers. Greasers have always had problems with Socs, the rich kids on the west side. Socs always jump the Greasers until one day Johnny Ponys best friend gets jumped and he’s had enough. I believe the theme of this story is “Once you learn about somebody the diversity between you goes away.”