At some point in every body's life, they feel like they don't belong, or don't have a place where they can really be themselves. You feel like no one wants you, or you're separated from other people because of small things. Ponyboy, the narrator in the story The Outsiders, is conflicted with not knowing where he belongs, and who he is welcome with. The Outsiders takes place in the 1960s, in a town where your class affects everything. The kids and teens are separated by where they live, the West-side being the rich Socs, and the East-side being the Greasers. Fights, rumbles and murders happen just because social class. Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Sodapop and Darry. The three all are part of a Greaser gang, …show more content…
He tells him he doesn't want to take part in the fight. He says in the end, it doesn't help anyone, it's just doing harm and not making anything better. Even if the Greasers won the rumble, it wouldn't had made a difference. They'll still stay Greasers, or lower-class. They're treated differently because of where they live and how much they have.
At a drive-in movie, Pony is acquainted with a Soc, Cherry Valance. She helps him comprehend that they aren't that different. She points out their differences, but also shows him how they are the same, how they are all people. One recurring motif is that they all see the same sunset, or they're all part of the same world. Ponyboy's perspective is altered when he and Johnny rescue the kids from the fire. The children's teacher, Jerry, calls them heroes. Ponyboy then says "No, we're Greasers." (Hinton 95) implying that Greasers and lower-classes can't be heroes. Jerry didn't change his mind about calling them heroes, the social class didn't matter to him. Pony realizes that outside of his town, people won't notice social class or wealth as they do in his