Value Of Family Relationships In The Book 'The Outsiders'

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The legendary quote “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold” from the renowned novel “The Outsiders” is something that I hope my children and grandchildren will have the privilege to know and understand. The Outsiders has a strong value of family and friendship. Throughout the book there are many satellite themes and issues. The book is known as a coming of age for adolescence. When I first read this book it was in my 8th grade Language Arts class. The first thing that came to my mind was “hey, isn’t that the movie with that Cruise guy”. I had no clue that the story of Ponyboy Curtis would touch my heart in such a way. I had been going through so much that year, I felt as if I was Ponyboy. Middle school starts were kids finally come to a realization of …show more content…

They had little money to afford fancy things so they were left with hair wax. Society though tends to have a way to try and strip youths from their identity. From Sparknotes.com: “When the Socs jump Ponyboy at the beginning of the novel, they ask him if he wants a haircut and threaten to cut off his hair. By doing so, they would rob him of his identity.” As reported by cliffnotes.com: “The evolution of the family relationships is a recurrent theme in the novel. Family relationships are strained during the teen years…” Ponboy and his brothers, Darry and Sodapop, were orphans. Darry worked two jobs to try and provide for them. Ponyboy didn’t realize that Darry was so hard on him because he wanted him to become something and not always be a “Greasers”. Johnny’s parents were both very physically and emotionally abusive. Throughout the book it was quite evident Johnny did not know what family love was. The only love he receives is from the gang. In our culture today family dynamics play a large role. With that said we are in a time were things genuinely are not always black and white. You can come from a struggling background but still have excellent morals and excel in

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