Have You Ever Felt Like An Outsider Analysis

Have you ever felt like an “outsider”? This novel the “Outsiders” was written by S.E. Hinton in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1960’s. In the novel there are two gangs who are rivals. The Greasers and Socs. The Socs are the upper class kids, while the Greasers are the lower class kids. Who are the real outsiders in this novel? The Greasers or the Socs?

The Greasers are known as the hoods and punks in society. Many considered Greasers as the outsiders in society because of their class. In document B Ponyboy, a Greaser says,” One time in biology class I had to dissect a worm, and the razor wouldn’t cut so I used my switch blade. The minute I flicked it out- I forgot what I was doing or I would never have done it- this girl right beside me kind of gasped, and said, they are right. You are a hood.” Ponyboy, is an outsider because he is different from the Socs kids in his class. Due to his lower status level, he is the outsider.

The Socs can also be interpreted ad outsiders too. They don’t express their feelings to one another like the Greasers do. They like to hide their feelings and “fake” how they truly feel. This makes them outsiders because they are not true to one another and trust. In Document C a Socs girl named Cherry says,” Socs were always behind a wall of aloofness, careful not to let their real selves show through.” Cherry is trying to explain that Socs are “fake” and don’t like showing their emotions and feelings to one another. The Socs can be interpreted as outside because they don’t act true to each