You open your eyes and see blood. You rest against the fountain while catching your breath. You see your friend pale as a ghost, and one of the “cool kids” lying in a pool of blood. This is a similar situation to many people because of violence. About 60% of deaths per year are caused by gun violence in the United States. Though guns weren’t used for violence in The Outsiders violence plays a big role in the book. Ponyboy’s opinion on violence changes throughout the book. Ponyboy’s opinion on violence changes so that we can see the reality of violence and not just his opinion.
At first Ponyboy avoided violence. He didn’t want to hurt anybody, but he didn’t really think violence was bad. After the movies, Ponyboy, Johnny, Two Bit, Cherry, and Marcia see the socs, and they get into a small fight, “He snatched up an empty bottle, busted off the end, and gave it to me … ‘I couldn’t use this,’ I said dropping the pop bottle. ‘I couldn’t ever cut anyone…’” (Hinton 45). This shows that in the beginning of the book, Ponyboy doesn’t like violence. He wasn’t a violent person, he wouldn’t harm anybody, but he also didn’t disagree with violence when it was occurring. Violence wasn’t a bad thing unless he was the person that was doing it.
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Then he thought violence was fine.
He didn’t have a problem with it, and he wouldn’t resist violence. We are shown this when Ponyboy is with Two Bit and Steve and they are approached by some socs, “... a car drove up and three Socs got out … Big deal. I busted off the end of my bottle and held on to the neck and tossed away my cigarette ‘You get back into your car or you'll get split’” (Hinton 171). This quote shows us that Ponyboy is fine with violence. If somebody was to get hurt, or he was to hurt somebody, it wouldn’t bother him. This proves that the events in the book have changed Ponyboy to think that it is okay for people to suffer or be harmed because of
violence. The thing that changed Ponyboy the most was Johnny’s death. After Ponyboy threatened the socs, he had a conversation with Two Bit, “I knew as well as he did that if you got tough you didn’t get hurt. Get smart and nothing can touch you” (Hinton 171). This is Ponyboy subconsciously talking about Johnny’s death. He suffered a lot from Johnny’s death and he was really hurt. Ponyboy is saying that if he was tougher, he wouldn’t have been hurt by his death. Nothing could touch you, physically or mentally. In the end, Ponyboy realized violence is bad. After he found the letter from Johnny, he realized what violence could cause, “I could picture hundreds and hundreds of boys living on the wrong sides of cities, boys with black eyes who jumped at their own shadows … I could see boys going down under street lights because they were mean and tough and hated the world, and it was too late to tell them that there was still good in it, and they wouldn't believe you if you did” (Hinton 179). Ponyboy realizes what the causes and effects of violence are. He realizes why violence happens. He also sees why he shouldn’t start or encourage violence. Two of his closest friends died. One innocent person who was just looking for fun died, and all because of a little “harmless fight. Johnny’s letter causes Ponyboy to realize that violence isn’t the answer.
A choice made by Darry affects Ponyboy by making Pony do bad things.”You don’t yell at him!” Darry wheeled around and slapped me so hard that it knocked me against the door”(Hinton 50). This choice was made because Ponyboy was being disrespectful to Darry, and that's why he slapped Ponyboy across the face.
Ponyboy was a bad kid, he fought against Socs and he even smoked a weed, which is a cigarette. Later on he got into worse trouble and had to hide. He wanted to change and be a different person. While he hid he was scared and frightened and was beginning to think of how he was doing in life, and his thoughts were not very well. After the church incident, he began to change a little.
He is smart, and gets good grades in school. This is purposefully mentioned several times within the story, and people tend to be surprised to learn that he is a Greaser. In addition, some Greasers are nicer than people tend to think. When the church burned down, Ponyboy and Johnny run in to save the children without a second thought. They acted with selflessness, putting the safety of the children above their own. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Ponyboy is asked if he and Johnny are "professional heroes". He responds by telling the entire story of how they're Greasers and Johnny is wanted for murder, shocking the man in the ambulance. It is difficult for him to believe that a group of Greasers would do something so heroic. Johnny dies as a direct result of their actions, but neither Ponyboy nor Johnny regretted what they
the beginning of the book chapter 1 Ponyboy went to the movies alone on the way home some greasers jump him and in the right moment his group members save him from getting beat.
Ponyboy is attacked by stereotype threat several times throughout the book. One example is the beginning when he is jumped by four Socs“I about decided I didn’t like it so much ,though, when I spotted that red Corvair trailing me.” Hinton 4. Ponyboy was cornered by four Socs who proceeded to punch and beat up Ponyboy. The four kids only beat up Ponyboy because he is a Greaser and he is the enemy of their gang, the Socs. Beating up Ponyboy is what is expected of them. This shows that these Socs are trapped by stereotype because they embraced that stereotype and made it a part of their identity. Ponyboy does show signs of
People should have a conversation with someone and get to know them before judging them. Ponyboy changed the way he thought of the Socs. At first he thought of the Socs as thugs who enjoy jumping Greasers. He later learned that Socs have problems that Greasers don’t know of and not all Socs hate Greasers.
His parents died when he was young. He was nurtured by his older brothers. Pony has to struggle at the bottom of the social ladder. Like the people around him, he has to fight, steal and scare little kids. However, Pony remained a pure heart, a golden heart. He only fights when he has to defend himself. He kept his heart of sympathy, understanding of others and think for the others. Like in when the church was burned, he understands the situation of the teacher and children. So he risked his life to safe the kids. The most straight forward example and conclusion of Pony’s good heart is the word of Johnny, “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold…” Moreover, Ponyboy is a thinker. He can think for the opposite side of his gang, the Socs. Although the Socs almost drowned him, he can still understand the Socs and didn’t be blinded by the hate. He in the chaos and impulsive world can see through the surface of the conflict and see the core of the world that people are the same. That is really amazing and Ponyboy does have the board mind of a hero.
Have you ever wondered if what you did,was the right thing to do?In the story “The Outsiders”by S.E. Hinton there is a young 16 year-old boy named Johnny who kills someone but does that mean he should be locked up ? After a thorough investigation on this subject ,I can confidently say that i believe he is innocent.The reasons why I believe he is innocent are that,he was protecting his friend,it was self-defense and he’s nice kid,that wouldn't just kill for the fun of it .
Ponyboy doesn’t act like any regular greaser who is tough and likes to pick fights. Ponyboy cares about other people and will do things to benefit others. “I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I just went on picking up the glass from the bottle end and put it in the trash can. I didn’t want anyone to get a flat tire.” (pg. 172) Instead of leaving the
Determination and a strong connection with the natural world can uphold a person's sense of hope. Throughout the book The Outsiders it is demonstrated that through being confronted with arduous situations Ponyboy and the gang using determination and courage establish a sense of hope through each other. As shown in “no rival gangs only socs and you can't win against them no matter how hard you try” it displays that Ponyboy at the opening of the story does not believe anything can change therefore he has disbelief in hope. However after encountering two socials Cherry and Marcia they
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…
This situation occurs when Darry states,“ ‘I don’t know if you ought to be in this rumble, Pony,’ ”(134). Although what Darry says is in concern of his little brother, for PonyBoy, the fight is more important than his health at the moment. When Ponyboy ends up passing out for three days from the fight with the Socs, it may show that this risk did not go well(157). But, in a sense, it helped Ponyboy get his anger out and free his mind for some time. Overall, it did not hurt Ponyboy to get knocked out. Johnny says this after he killed someone instinctively, “ ‘I killed him,’ he said slowly. ‘I killed that boy’ ”(56). Shortly after Johnny kills Bob the Soc to protect Ponyboy, he realizes what he has done. Whether or not this was a good decision, in the end he saved his friend from dying. In any case, this was self defense. To add on to events that were risks, these two were great
Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character.
With his long greasy hair and baggy worn out clothes he looked likes a bad kid, but the way he talked and the way he thought it was a whole different person inside of him. The Outsiders is about two rival gangs that fight and go through so much stuff to just to call the territory their own. It is the Socs versus Greasers. They always have their back up because you can't trust anyone, but at the end of the day is all the rubbles and fighting worth it? Ponyboy one of the greasers has a big character change during the book. In the beginning of the book Ponyboy was getting jumped by the Socs and he was acting all tough and defending himself, in the middle of the book he starts to break while he is in the church, and when the kids were stuck in
He is smart, a good friend, a good fighter and member. For his symbols I chose a Pepsi bottle, Gone With the Wind, a pencil, the country, a Dairy Queen sign, eggs, chocolate cake, a cigarette, and hair grease. Ponyboy is a Pepsi addict. Ponyboy and Johnny would read Gone With the Wind when they were hiding. He loves to draw in his free time. Ponyboy wishes his family could live in the country. Dally takes Ponyboy and Johnny to Dairy Queen to have a meal. He likes chocolate cake and eggs for breakfast. He smokes a cigarette because everyone smokes cigarettes. He wears hair grease because he is a greaser. Ponyboy has two main conflicts. Darry slapping him and Johnny killing the Soc. When Ponyboy is talking to Johnny and falls asleep. He comes back to the house later than curfew and Darry gets mad. Darry yells at him, he yells back, and darry slaps him. He runs away to Johnny and the run to the park. The Socs pull up and attack them. Then Johnny kills the Soc with a switchblade. The settings are the lot,a poor-looking house, a park, and a church. The lot is where Ponyboy falls asleep talking to Johnny. The poor-looking house is where the Curtis’s live and is where Darry hits Pony. The park is where Johnny and Ponyboy were attacked by the Socs. It also is where Johnny kills the Soc. Finally the church is where Pony and Johnny hide when the run away after killing the