Ponyboy's Identity In The Outsiders

In The Outsiders, Ponyboy’s strongest value is his identity. He is a Greaser, and is part of a gang that includes his two older brothers. He lives with his brothers and has no parents as they died eight months prior to the narration of the story. He has grown up as a Greaser but he dreams of a different life. He wants to do something more than just being a Greaser. Life as a Greaser doesn’t fit him and he wants to change. He changes for the better and does the right thing. This reaps good results and is seen as a hero. But when he meets Cherry, he sees that other people also want to become more than what they are. Cherry, a girl he meets at a movie, invites him into her world as a Soc; lets him know what life as a Soc is like and how she

likes to look at sunsets and dream about another life. Ponyboy finds himself similar to her and opens himself to Cherry:
“‘I'll Bet you watch sunsets, too.’ She was quiet for a minute after I nodded. ‘I used to watch them, too, before I got so busy....’ I pictured that, or tried to. Maybe Cherry stood still and watched the sun set while she was supposed to be taking the garbage out. Stood there and watched and forgot everything else until her big brother screamed at her to hurry up.”(Hilton 40)

Ponyboy saw that his identity wasn’t that he was a Greaser.

He separated himself from the Greaser collective and made his identity his own. He no longer saw himself as only a Greaser and began to mold his identity and become more diverse. He decided that he did not want to fight anymore. He saw it as a pointless thing and became altruistic. He became an independent person and evolved to a higher state of thinking. He changed his identity and it changed even more when he went to the countryside with Johnny. When Ponyboy and Johnny ran away into the countryside after killing someone, they hid in a church until Dally their friend came to meet them. He came and they were going to head back to the church when they saw that it was on fire with kids inside. Ponyboy and Johnny made the split-second to go into the church to save the kids. Johnny, Dally, and Ponyboy went into the flaming building and managed to save the kids at the sacrifice of their health. Ponyboy was selfless and committed a selfless deed. He changed his identity even more. He no longer felt for himself and Greasers. He did the right thing and changed his identity; he believed in doing the right thing. Ponyboy committed a deed of good and changed to become unselfish. Ponyboy felt that he was a Greaser and that was who he was. He changed as he realized what he really was and what potential he had. He began doing the right thing and was more altruistic. He changed for the better and was a kinder, stronger, selfless

person. He always valued his identity and changed it for the better.