Outsiders Essay
The Greasers and the Socs in S.E. Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders” aren't as different as you think. The Greasers are low class “hoodlums” who are part of a brotherhood like gang. The Socs are a large group of wealthy teen who have too much time on their hands. Both of them rivals and from complete opposite walks of life. Greasers and Socs may seem like complete opposites on the outside, but actually have more in common than you would think. They both have faced stereotyping and have a rough family life.
Greasers are considered dirty low class “hoods” by just about everyone around them. As told in the article “Parents Guide to Gangs” by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,”Gang involvement is very dangerous
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and limits opportunities for the future.” To put it differently, Greasers by default have less opportunities than the Socs. S.E. Hinton shows this by putting emphasis on the crude neighborhood they live and by showing that Darry has to do manual labor while Sodapop works in a gas station. Them joining gangs just further lessens their future opportunities for the future. Hinton alludes that the Greasers start off in much harsher environments as far as money and neighborhood go, growing up and living in this kind of environment can definitely discourage a person to try to work towards a better future. During a conversation with Ponyboy Randy states,”You can’t win even if you whip us you’ll still be where you were before -- at the bottom.”(117) Randy is basically saying that the Greasers never will be able to change their current situation they’re in because they will always be considered a lower tier than the people around them. Like when Cherry says,”What’s a nice, smart kid like you running around with trash like that for?”(23) Ponyboy then says,“I’m a grease, same as Dally. He’s my buddy.”(23) Therefore, no matter what the Socs will always be considered considered above them, the Greasers are negatively regarded because of their action and appearance, but Socs do the same the same minor crimes the Greasers do but without consequence. These environmental features do determine that a person like a Greaser will face these problems. Secondly, the Socs are affluent teens who, despite their wealth and good fortune still end up in gangs and committing crimes. In the article “Affluenza Teen” by Ramit Plushnik-Matsi the source states,”The offspring of today are more distressed, more reactionary to problems than other youth. High rates of substance abuse, depression, anxiety, cheating, and stealing give new meaning to having it all.” To put it another way, they’re trying to say that compared to non affluent teens compared to non-affluent teens are in fact experiencing more problems. In addition, because of their wealth they have more access to dangerous substances that someone less fortunate than them would have, making them more vulnerable to bad choices. The author also writes in the “Affluenza Teen” article,”If the boy continues to be cushioned by the family’s wealth another tragedy is inevitable.” Plushnick is trying to convey that as long as an affluent youth uses their parent’s wealth as a backup for their own faults they’ll never learn, so another possibly fatal incident is bound to happen. By highlighting this point Plushnick has shown that as long as they continue to remain wealthy, they never will learn right from wrong because all of their wrongs are being excused because they are labeled as “affluent”.From my following statements you can see that affluent teens have more access to dangerous substances but at the same time are not held accountable for their use of them. Continuing, even though from the previous paragraphs you can definitely observe how people like the Greasers and people like the Socs have multiple differences, it may seem like a shock but they do have some similarities.
Both people like the Greasers and people like the Socs have faced stereotyping. During Ponyboy and Johnny’s fight with the Socs in “The Outsiders”, “Greasers are just white trash with long hair” Remarked Bob. (55) “Well Socs are just white trash with Mustangs and Madras” Ponyboy said in return. (55) Stereotyping prevents people from actually seeing someone’s true character, when stereotyping you’re almost always judging someone just based on their outwards appearance. By saying this Hinton allows the reader to understand that stereotyping keeps people close minded, unable to accept new ideas or concepts which really causes more harm to yourself. In the article “The Allure of Gangs” it mentions that,”...They may feel as though they are unimportant in their own world, and join a gang because they need an identity. Often kids who join gangs feel alienated by their parents.” Problems at home can occur wherever, whenever, rich or poor. They can lead to gang involvement. The majority of people join gangs because they need a sense of family, identity, power, or popularity. If you look at my previous statements you can see that both the Greasers and the Socs do share
problems. Stereotypes prevent us from seeing the real personalities of people all around us, they close off opportunities for yourself. Just because someone may look a certain way and label or assume they do this or that doesn’t mean they match your assumption. Everyone is an individual and unless you look past the surface of that person you'll never realize that. S.E. Hinton’s ultimate goal with “The Outsiders” was to show that people are always more than just their stereotypes.
The Outsiders is a book about Greasers And Socs. The Greasers are the poor east side kids they would wear their hair long and greasy and they will dress in blue jeans, T-shirts, or wear they shirttails out and wear a leather jacket and tennis shoes or boots. The Socs are the rich west side kids that worn nice clothes, drove nice cars, and had all the pretty lady’s. They both was gangs in Oklahoma. The Socs they would jump Greasers, wreck houses, and throw beer blasts for kicks.
Stereotyping is a constant theme throughout The Outsiders. It may seem as if the Greasers are the ones that really have to deal with presumptions, but the Socs also have quite a bit of stereotyping to deal with. While the outside world tries to force these stereotypes onto the gangs, they also tend to assume things about each other. This leads to divisions between them that most likely would not exist if stereotyping was not so abundant. The Greasers are pegged as nasty hoodlum troublemakers that are dropouts and criminals. On the other hand, the Socs are made out to be the opposite- crisp, intelligent young adults that have no real problems. Many cases of stereotyping between the two groups leads to violence between them.
The book “the Outsiders” (S.E. Hinton) is based on the story of two gangs the Greasers and the Socs. These two groups of individuals have conflicts. the Greasers are the East side working class people. The Socs are the West side rich kids. they drive around in a blue mustang, they “jump” the greasers and injure them purely because they are lesser than the Socs. The Greasers are a interesting bunch of individuals. the story is based from their perspective. They aren’t rich but they get by, they steal they fight they smoke but they aren’t bad guys.
On pg. 2, the text states that, “I’m not sure how you spell it, but it’s the abbreviation for the socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids.” This quote shows how the Socs are viewed by the Outsiders as the wealthy kids that live on the West side. In the book, the Socs are seen as the people who jump the Greasers, wreck houses, and throw beer blasts. The Socs have a mixed opinion by society. In the newspaper, the Socs are in one article for being a disgrace to society and in the next article they are a pleasure to have in the community. The text states that on pg. 38, “You Greasers have a different set of values. You’re more emotional. We’re sophisticated.” This is a quote stated by a Socs girl named Cherry, who describes the Greasers she and a friend met at the movie theatre. Cherry’s perception shows how the Socs are viewed verses the the Greasers. Also, Greasers have preconceived perceptions about the Socs
Did you know that many people join gangs because of Family issues. Socs and Greasers have problem with family issues.They also have problems with money and are judged by others.Both Socs and Greasers deal with money problems,family issues,and are judged by others because of the way they act.
...e better and the Socs to be worse. Being tough and tuff were the two things required in each group, but not every individual were able to be the two things. This caused some individuals not to be themselves for the gang. Internal and external expectations changed the group to be better or worse. The Greasers were expected by others to do bad things, but they were able to prove they could be heroes. The Greasers are disgrace to the society which helped them to strive to become real heroes. While the Socs were to pressure by the high expectations they decided to rebel. The Socs took advantage which led those group to be a disgrace, although no one ever thought the Socs were capable to do bad things. Society should stop being judgmental to avoid changes that make other worst. The only expectations people should make is to help other people to be the best they can be.
From looking at the two gangs, both the Greasers and the Socs. The book The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton is able to show that the Greasers were the true disgrace and a menace to society. The Greasers were able to show this from their looks, their behavior, and the choices that they make.
The Outsiders, an enthralling novel by S.E Hinton, is an excellent story about the hardships and triumphs experienced by the Greasers and the Socs two rival gangs. S.E Hinton tells a thrilling tale about the Socs and the Greasers that are two gangs and she characterize how they live. Ponyboy, his brother and his friends have to deal with the challenges relating to their environment. The three most important topics of The Outsiders are survival, social class and family support.
In the outsiders we learn that the Greasers and the Socs aren't so different because they feel the same way about teenage issues. Both Greasers and Socs want the other one gone. They both wants what’s best for their gang.They both feel the same about issues. In the beginning of the story the Socs and the Greasers seemed like totally different people, and I thought the Socs were just rich snobs and the Greasers were just hoodlums. In the Middle of the Story Randy confronts Soda and tells him that he doesn’t want to fight and that he’s sick of all the fighting. At the end of the story the Greasers and the Socs kind of make peace because they both lost friends just because of all they’re fighting and they realized that all of this fighting is
I feel as though the novel The outsiders has many themes, but the most important one is belonging. The greasers are a group of poor, low class youth that don’t have much and live on the wrong side of town. They are always held accountable for their actions. On the other hand, the Socs are a bunch of high class youth that are very privileged and aren’t held accountable for their immature actions.
In S.E. Hinton’s book, The Outsiders, children born on the wrong side of town grow up to be juvenile, teenage hoods. In this book, these teenage delinquents are the Greasers, whose only "rival" is the Socials, or "Socs," as an abbreviation. The characters within The Outsiders unmistakably choose a remote. lifestyle of juvenile delinquency and crime. Ilanna Sharon Mandel wrote an article called, "What Causes Juvenile Delinquency?" This editorial presents many circumstances that can be applied to the main character, or protagonist, Ponyboy Michael Curtis and his brothers, friends, and neighbors. Their behavior may not always lead them to the right side of the law, but it is the cause of juvenile delinquency that gets them in. trouble.
Gangs are a group of boys and believe it or not girls too, that frequently get together to make all types of vandalism and actions that are not admitted by the law. Gangs have been part of the world for a very long time; they have also evolved through time. For example gangs in the 1960’s are not the same as the gangs we see today in our days. Many gangs were made before and after the 1960’s but the major gangs in this time were: The Crips, The Latin Kings, KKK, The Bloods which were enemies of The Crips, and the 18th Street Gang.
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."
A socially approved form of a gang is a club. Americans generally view clubs as character building leadership opportunities; whereas, individuals typecast into gangs are persecuted as criminals. Clubs are formed with constructive goals in mind, such as making it easier for its members to find parts for a particular brand of automobile. Socioeconomic class, academic achievement, or perceived roles in society for its members all play a part in the preferential treatment given to a group which a society deems a club rather than a gang. For instance, parts of the public anticipated that motorcycle riders would cause a massive rise in crime within the Hollister area during the motorcycle rally.
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.