Literary Analysis - The Outsiders Have you ever worried about children you know being in a gang? The Outsiders is a book by S.E. Hinton from the perspective of a fourteen year old boy named Ponyboy and it illustrates two weeks in his life that changed him forever. The book opens with ponyboy as just a kid but throughout the entire book you see him change and follow along as he goes through his hardships and eventually perseveres through it all as a basically different person. The book is based around the theme of “Nothing, especially that which is perfect and beautiful, can last forever.” and it really shows in the parts where the poem “Nothing Gold can Stay.” by Robert Frost comes into play. Ponyboy is more like a normal fourteen year old …show more content…
when the book starts out in the fact that he likes to watch movies and sunsets, and this is very important to the theme.
He is nice enough and thinks that the greasers and soc’s live in different worlds but after meeting cherry he changes his mind and he says this after realizing he and cherry can’t connect “Maybe the two different worlds we live in weren’t so different. we saw the same sunset.” This also brings out the theme and explains his views. Also it is just an amazing quote because it shows his view of the soc’s and it also shows that he is finally able to understand the similarities between them and not just the differences, frankly an amazing quote. Next is Johnny and Johnny brings out the theme more than any other, he tells ponyboy to stay gold when he dies and he also writes the letter. The letter really just brings the story around and adds some things that the story wouldn’t have without it. Johnny is introduced as a scared boy but you see him in the burning church and it completely changes the way you look at him, of …show more content…
course then he dies but it really shows you how he really is. Basically Johnny is really very important and the letter seems to just sum up the feel of the book, he writes this as he’s dying, “Ponyboy, I asked the nurse to give you this book so you could finish it. The doctor came in a while ago but I knew anyway. I keep getting tireder and tireder. Listen, I don't mind dying now. It was worth it. It's worth saving those kids. Their lives are woth more than mine, they have more to live for. Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it.Tell Dally it was worth it. I'm just gonna miss you guys. I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid, like green.When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be.I want you to tell Dally to look at one. He'll probably think you're crazy, but ask for me. I don't think he's ever really seen a sunset. And don't be so bugged over being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows. Your buddy, Johnny.” This is an amazing quote and really just pulls at the heart strings, this is the best part of the book by far and it makes the story all that much better. Now on to my favorite character, Sodapop.
Sodapop relates to the theme because he seems like a sunset but after a while you see that he is not, in fact he even dropped out of school because he is “stupid” and he also says an amazing quote that just moves you and makes the story all that much better, he says this quote after Pony and Darry are arguing and they bring Soda into it, he then starts to run away but Pony catches up to him and Darry not long after. Then he says “We're all we got left now. If we don't have each other, then we ain't got nothing. And when you ain't got nothin, you end up like Dally... I don't mean dead either, I mean, I mean how he was before. So please...don't fight anymore... please…” This is really for another theme in the story but it was so good I had to put it in here, it just brings so much out in Soda that you’ve never seen before and it’s so emotionally raw it’s just explains everything about how he feels and frankly it’s just perfect for this part in the
book. The theme of “Nothing, especially that which is perfect and beautiful, can last forever.” is fitting and explains almost everything in the story that is important at least, there are also underlying themes but in my opinion that is the main one. Also this book was amazing and I believe that all kids over the age of twelve or thirteen should read it, it accurately shows gang life and how it can bring people together but not always in a good way, and speaking of gangs, the fact that so many children are in gangs should just tug at your heartstrings. So i’ll ask again “Have you ever worried about children you know being in a gang?” If so then we as a community can help teens and children from being in gangs and ending up like Dally, I believe that we as a community can provide a safe haven for the children on the street and stop gangs from being a thing entirely.
The theme of chapter seven is about empathy. Ponyboy starts to realize that not everyone thinks the same, and that people are different. For example, on page 101, the reporters asked a few questions to Ponyboy that said, “What would you do right now if you could do anything you wanted?” Ponyboy replied “ Take a bath.” Right
Showing that Ponyboy was very inexperienced and thought Mickey Mouse Sodas horse was just like Soda and they were brothers.Thirdly, we see how some actions Ponyboy’s gang does help show the need for childhood innocence like when pony says,” Darrel, who we call Darry, works too long and hard to be interested in a story or drawing a picture,” (Hinton 3). Darry is only 20 and he has a job working on roofs he works so hard so he can care for his brothers Soda and Ponyboy he has no time to be a kid himself he is working like a man when he is only a child.While some believe the main theme is brotherly love I argue its preserving childhood innocence. While this is a good point, because Ponyboy’s group definitely sticks up for one another in a brotherly fashion, it lays a strong foundation for preserving childhood innocence. Jonny had never been a coward he was a good man in a rumble, (Hinton 34) this shows how has Johnny loses his innocence, he becomes fearful of the Soc’s and begins to carry a switchblade to keep his gang safe, you might think this shows brotherly love, but it also shows preserving childhood innocence because when Johnny got used to being targeted by the Soc’s he lost his innocence, that’s why he would carry stuff like switch blades to keep him and others safe from the Soc’s. While the Greasers grew up they lost more and more of their innocence to rumbles and hatred of the Soc’s.
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 .
“No, we’re greasers,” I said, which means Ponyboy is stepping up to his family and love his brothers. Ponyboy is thinking the same way I am like explaining and what the theme means of trusting someone, or trusting your family. My theme for the middle of the novel is, “the little kids could have a better life than you.”
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…
The Outsiders was written by Susan Eloise Hinton. It is one of her most popular books about foolish gang rivalry existing between the Socs, the rich kids from the west side of town, and the Greasers, the poor kids from the east side.
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."
“Theme; the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic” ~ Google. There are many themes in both books and each of them are incredibly valuable. One of them main and common themes in both books is “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” ~ Lester Fuller and Edwin Rolfe. Both books have a different way of teaching us this lesson and on page 11 of The Outsiders, Ponyboy is explaining the appearance and parts of their personality, he says, “Johnny Cade was last and least . If you picture a little dark puppy that’s been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd, you’ll have Johnny.” This line from the book is about how Ponyboy thinks of Johnny. Also on page 25 the author writes, “But Johnny was the gang’s pet, and Dally just couldn't hit him. He was Dally’s pet
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hilton, was about Ponyboy Curtis and his two brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Ponyboy was an intelligent, brave, and kind 14 year old boy. Ponyboy and his brothers were members of a group called the Greasers. Only those that were extremely poor were considered members of this group. Ponyboy learned to overcome obstacles by fighting with the Socs, which were the rich kids of the town.
Ponyboy has been heroic when he defends Sherry and Marcia at the drive-in theater when Dallas was harassing them. He also shows that he is heroic when he saves the children from the church fire. Ponyboy demonstrations how he can be a good friend by staying by Johnny’s bed side while he was sick. There are numerous amounts of heroic decisions that Ponyboy committed but he can also be the villain at some stages. Ponyboy smokes a packet of cigarettes a day which is bad for his health. Ponyboy fights a lot with Darry, Soda says, “I can’t stand to hearing y’all fight anymore.” After Johnny died Ponyboy’s grades went down and he wanted to drop out of school, Ponyboy announces, “I’ll have to get a job as soon as I get out of school anyway. Look at Soda. He’s doing okay, and he dropped out. You can just lay off”. Ponyboy listens to Randy even though he’s a Soc’s. “I swear you three are the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time” said Randy. S.E Hinton has cleverly used Ponyboy to show that all people can be heroic and
Ponyboy is often seen as a small, young, and vulnerable child, through the eyes of the gang and other people. In one instance Two-Bit gets upset at Ponyboy “Shut your mouth, kid. If you wasn’t Soda’s kid brother I’d beat the tar out of you” (Hinton, 42). Not only is Ponyboy lucky that he has the gang, he understands that he has different emotions and personalities than most of the gang. Ponyboy goes throughout the novel feeling like he has to do everything in his power to protect his friends, but he also wants to do what is best for him, this is
Have you ever struggled with believing what is right and wrong? The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, is a coming of age book for Ponyboy Curtis. The Outsiders tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society, which then he believes that he is an outsider. Darrel, Sodapop, and Ponyboy lost their parents recently. Now they are going through a different life, they are involved in many events. These events starting at the movie theater, then Ponyboy finding one of the Soc’s girlfriends, which leads to a fight and then even a death (Hinton). Everyone should read The Outsider because it has a great message, settings, and characters.
The Outsiders is a very good book written by S. E. Hinton. This is a book but they have also made a movie about this book. The movie was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The book is about a group of “Greasers” who have to face a series of problems emotionally and physically. In this book the main character, Ponyboy, has to face challenges when his parents die in a crash. Later they were getting beaten up so his friend johnny killed a guy that was harming them, causing them to run and hide in a church. Later when they go back the church catches on fire Johnny and Ponyboy go inside to rescue children and Johney end up dieing because of this. But the movie and the book have some major differences and can have some major turns because of this.
One of the most important themes in The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is Society and Class division. In the novel, the Greasers and Socs are divided by wealth, social class and opportunities to succeed. Following the journey of Ponyboy and his gang of friends, the reader learns the reality of these kids’ lives. At the beginning of the book the two groups share a hatred for each other not realizing the other similarities they share. After many tragic happenings, these youngsters realize they are not that different. The author wants the reader to understand that wealth, social class and education should not divide people.
They are often looked down upon and even expected to act as if they were garbage compared to the wealthy. For example, on page 23 in the book, “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton, the book states, “Cherry was looking at me. ‘What’s a nice, smart kid like you running around with trash like that for?’ I [Ponyboy] felt myself stiffen. ‘I’m a grease, same as Dally. He’s my buddy.’” That citation shows how Cherry’s inner expectations of a Greaser impaired her knowledge of knowing Ponyboy was a Greaser as well. You can see in that very citation that Cherry expects all Greasers to act like Dally, who is not intelligent, kind, or as well-mannered as Ponyboy. This expectation upon the Greasers causes the Socs to act terribly towards them, while the Greasers act the same way towards them to show no weakness. This causes tension and violence to erupt among them, which is one of the reasons why they act so menacing towards each other. Additionally, it states on page 117 in the book, “The Outsiders,” by S.E. Hinton that, “He looked at me. ‘No, you wouldn’t. I’m a Soc. You get a little money and the whole world hates you.’” That citation explains how that particular Soc (Randy), broke the barrier towards the expectation of the Greaser of how they were terrible, disgusting, worthless people. He realized that they aren’t trash and actually hardworking people who are trying to survive with their poor lifestyle. While other people see the Greasers as low-lives, they have to combat the violence that they are brought upon by the kinds of people who enjoy hurting those who are living a tough lifestyle. Greasers also have to fight off the internal voice inside their head that they are worthless, whom they try to prove themselves with participating in fights and standing up for themselves. Finally, you can see here how these expectations can really affect a person’s