Not all heroes need capes, just leather jackets. In Tulsa, Oklahoma 1965 there are only two groupings, the Socials (Socs) and the Greasers according to the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. These two groups utterly hate each other when they want to. In view of the Greasers, the Socs are these cheeky, wealthy, carefree people that look down on them for their way of living and not being like them. On the other hand, the Socs see the Greasers as these sewer rats in leather jackets looking for trouble. There are a few Greasers that stand out to the title of a hero, some are even heroes for the Socs. Of course these few people have their own ways of being a hero in the story, Darry is a hero for his affectionate personality, Dally for his influential qualities, Sodapop …show more content…
Darry earns the title of a hero because he deeply cares for their family and would do anything to assure a good future for them. Tough on the outside, but as soft as a marshmallow inside. Darry is the older brother of Sodapop and Ponyboy, he stepped up to take care of them when their parents pass away. He has the looks, brain, and experience to be a Soc, but he chose to take care of his brothers and go the path of a Greaser. “I looked at Darry. He wasn't going to be any hood when he got old. He was going to get somewhere. Living the way we do would only make him more determined to get somewhere. That's why he's better than the rest of us, I thought. He's going somewhere. And I was going to be like him. I wasn't going to live in a lousy neighborhood all my life” (S.E. Hinton 118). He is harsh on Ponyboy, but only because he wants Ponyboy to be successful and happy. For Sodapop, he is more laid back because Soda has a job, the good looks, is a highschool dropout, and knows Soda does not want a future
In chapter one we are introduced to our narrator, Ponyboy. Ponyboy is raised by his two older brothers Darry and Soda. They’re all apart of a gang called the “greasers” which is joined by Dally, Johnny, Two-bit, and Steve. There is another group called “ socs” which stands for socials, and everyone in that group is very wealthy. One day Ponyboy got jumped by a socs group, but luckily Darry was there to help before anything too serious happened. The first element of literature is characterization. Ponyboy is a keen observer, trying to make sense of the complexities of those around him. At the beginning of the story, he stops and spends several pages giving us brief character description on Steve, Two-Bit, Dally, and Johnny. This is also known as direct characterization. He tells us that Steve is "cocky and smart" ( Hinton 9). Two-Bit can 't stop joking around and goes to school for "kicks" (Hinton 10) rather than to learn. Dallas, he says, is "tougher, colder, meaner" ( Hinton 10) than the rest of them.
"He's as hard as a rock and about as human...he thinks I'm a pain in the neck. He likes Soda--everybody likes Soda--but he can't stand me” (42). This does show that Pony does not get along very well with Darry, however it shows that Ponyboy does get along well with Soda. Pony finds comfort in Soda when he fights with Darry. Sodapop helps tighten the three brother relationship.“ ‘We‘re all we got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything. If we don‘t have each other, we don‘t have anything. If you don‘t have anything, you end up like Dallas . . . and I don‘t mean dead, either. I mean like he was before. And that‘s worse than dead. Please’ ”- he wiped his eyes on his arm- “ ‘don‘t fight anymore’ ” says Soda (176). “ ‘Sure... sure little buddy, we ain't goin' to fight anymore’ ” Darry answers (176). This demonstrates that eventually Ponyboy and Darry stop
Ponyboy has good grades and he likes to be on the track team and that keeps him in good health. In the end Ponyboy realizes that Darry cared about him as much as Sodapop. Darry is rough on Ponyboy because he want’s the best for him. Clearly Ponyboy does good in school and likes to do track and this keeps him in shape. All in all Ponyboy should stay with Darry because Darry tries too hard to keep Ponyboy in school so that he would have a better life. Darry has high expectations for Ponyboy and these expectations keep Ponyboy with good grades. Ponyboy also does track and this keeps him healthy and in shape. Ponyboy might be a star track runner. This is why Ponyboy should stay with
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.
Can some people so different be so a like? Can some people so alike be so different? Dally and Johnny are those two who are so different, but yet they are similar. In the book S.E. Hinton writes The Outsiders, Johnny Cade and Dally Winston come from two completely different backgrounds, and have completely different scruples. Yet, at the same time they are alike. Dally and Johnny’s parents both repudiate them, making Johnny and Dally mentally tough, and the boys do not value their lives. At the same time though they are different, Dally is stronger than Johnny. Though, Johnny has a soft heart and Dally would not even pay any attention if someone is dying right next to him.
Many heroes appear in the book The Outsiders. The characters that I think are heroes are Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally. The definition of a hero for me is a person who is brave enough to do things to help someone even if it is a dangerous thing to do.A hero also cares for others and people can rely on them. Ponyboy was a hero because he saved peoples’ lives. Johnny died as a hero because he also saved the kids from the burning church and he was also relied on by his gang members. Dally was hero mainly because he cared for his gang and people relied on him. These three characters were heroes in this book according to my definition of a hero.
Could a person live in a world without people who love and care for them? Could people survive in a world where they were judged by how they were presented on the outside? S.E. Hinton, the author of The Outsiders, discusses many universal themes, such as friendship, stereotyping, and change. In The Outsiders, two rival groups, the socs and the greasers, are separated by social class. The friendship between the greasers will be tested when an unexpected event changes everything. The greasers must learn that people experience many tragic events, no matter who the person is. Based on the universal themes, the readers will begin to understand how the characters in the novel grow and change, and how friendship and family help along the way.
To me, a hero is a cool person who has muscles, cool style and is courageous, selfless and has the desire to help people and save the world. However, the greasers are different from what I reckon is a hero. They are lousy and they have no manners. They are proud of stealing and watch the movie without paying. How come they are heroes?
There is a hero in us all. A hero is someone who risks their own life to save or do good for others. Ponyboy is a hero because he risked his life to save children from a burning church. Johnny is a hero even though he killed someone it was to save his friend’s life but he also saved children from a burning church. Dally has been arrested, picks fights, and drinks, but when it comes to the people he is close with he has his soft spots for them. All bad boys have a good side.
“Since Mom and Dad were killed in an auto wreck, the three of us get to stay together only as long as we behave (2).” This explains why Ponyboy, Dally and Sodapop did not have parents. In the novel, this really effected their life and character. "…It was Darry. He hit me. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't take him hollering at me and hitting me too... He didn't use to be like that... we used to get along okay... before Mom and Dad died. Now he just can't stand me (2)." This shows that not having their parents anymore effected Darry’s character and how he treated Ponyboy, which in return effected how Ponyboy felt about himself in comparison to how he was treated. This illustrates that Ponyboy believes that Darry picks on him all the time. This shows that Darry was like a caring parent in a tough way,
The first Greaser that I believe is a hero was Ponyboy because he was mentally tough. An example is when he was still attending school and getting straight A’s. Another heroic act was when he stood by Johnny’s side after Johnny murdered Bob, the Soc. He ran away with him while risking the chance of getting into trouble. In chapter six, there was an important scene where Ponyboy was a real hero by being brave and tough. "I'll get them, don't worry!" I started at a dead run for the church, and the man caught my arm. "I'll get them. You kids stay out! I jerked loose and ran on." (Pg. 78) This was when they heard the children’s screams come from inside the church. Ponyboy ran in the burning church and saved the children without hesitation. These are some reasons why Ponyboy was a hero.
After the church fire Ponyboy comes to the realization of many things. Two-Bit and Ponyboy are eating at a restaurant known as Tasty Freeze when Randy asks to speak with him. Ponyboy tells Randy, ¨Maybe you would have done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual¨(115). He finds out that you cannot define someone based on of they are part of the Socs or the greasers. Furthermore, he finds out that every one is a individual and that means that just because he is a part of a certain group it does not mean that they are all going to react or perceive a situation in the same exact way. In addition, he say this to Randy because when there was a fire in the church Dally was not willing to risk his life to save someone else's when Johnny and Ponyboy were more than willing to help the kids. This shows event shows how all Greasers and Socs are not the same. In the beginning of the novel Ponyboy believed Darry disliked him and thought he was a nuisance. However, later on at the hospital Ponyboy tells Darry, “I’m sorry” (98). Ponyboy’s words expose how he feels bad for thinking Darry disliked him all along when in truth he loved him more than words could describe. He realizes that Darry fears losing another family member that is why he is so overprotective of Ponyboy. Hence, proving Ponyboy is clearly a dynamic character.
The theme that S.E Hinton talks about family always sticks together. Family always cares and helps each other no matter what happens. This theme is display in the beginning of the novel in the way Ponyboy , Sodapop ,and Darry are always there for each other. An example is when Ponyboy says “greasers are almost like a hood they steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while (3).” What Ponyboy means by this is they are just like a family because they do everything together just like a family would do. They might look mean but they have love and care in their hearts and that
What's a hero? A hero isn't just a person with a super cool suit and fun powers, or a human who beats up villains and saves the world. A hero can be anybody and from the book “The Outsiders” by the author S.E. Hinton. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally are often described as heroes because of some things that they did in the book. Ponyboy is a hero because he saved children from the inside of a burning church, Johnny is a hero because of his want to help other people. Finally, Dally is a hero by his kind actions towards Johnny. These three Greasers are both brave and courageous.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about a group called the greasers, a group called the socs and what’s different between the groups and what’s the same. The greasers are the kids with little money, who feel a lot, and are tough. The socs are rich kids with not enough emotions and they never get in trouble. The Greasers have it worse because they have broken families, are always getting jumped by the socs, and are expected to steal and be rude because of their backgrounds.