Essay On The Outsiders

In The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, the novel is about Greasers, a typically poor subculture of young people named after their iconic greased back hair. The story follows Ponyboy, a fourteen year old boy who lives with his brothers Darry and Sodapop after their parents were both murdered. Ponyboy believes his family is his gang, which consists of himself, his sixteen year old brother Sodapop, his twenty year old brother Darry, Two-Bit, Dallas Winston, and Johnny Cade, Ponyboy’s best friend. Sodapop is a high school dropout, Darry had to watch over Sodapop and Ponyboy, Two-Bit steals anything he can get his hands on, Dallas has been in and out of prison his whole life, and Johnny lives with his abusive parents. Together they all watch each other’s backs, and are the closest family most of them even have. They are loyal to each other, shown when it is mentioned that Two-Bit smashed a window and Dally was arrested for it. Dally didn’t say that it was Two-Bit, and he served the time. The story opens up with Ponyboy leaving a movie theater, where he is jumped by Socs, another gang that rivals the Greasers. They beat Ponyboy up, …show more content…
Ponyboy talks to Cherry Valence and they discuss how they both like to watch the sunsets from the back porches. Ponyboy doesn’t say that kind of stuff to the gang, as he needs to look tough. The two of them watching the sunset is supposed to represent connection, and how the two groups, Greasers and Socs, are actually similar. Both groups do the same things, but the Socs just might have some more money. Later in the book while Johnny and Ponyboy are hiding out in the church, Johnny buys Ponyboy a copy of Gone with the Wind. The copy of Gone with the Wind is supposed to represent the connection between Johnny and Ponyboy, and because Ponyboy never finishes the book is supposed to show the journey of Johnny and Ponyboy never really