Peacekeeping In The Outsiders

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Within the novel, “The Outsiders”, written by S.E Hinton, it conveys the rivalry between the two gangs, the Socs and the Greasers. They constantly encounter conflict since the Socs are wealthy, living on the West side of town unlike the Greasers who are lower class, living on the opposite side of town. Each gang consists of multiple members, however, for the Greasers, particularly one member stands out from the crowd, Sodapop. His personality reveals that he is someone who endlessly provides comfort while keeping the peace but still maintaining a happy-go-lucky attitude. Caring is shown by demonstrating kindness and having a concern for others which is most evidently shown in the character Sodapop. Sodapop is always there when needed for his …show more content…

Sodapop never winds up in these arguments, however he attempts to defuse the dispute. On page 175, Sodapop says “it’s like I’m the middleman in a tug o’ war and I’m being split in half.” Soda feels as if he is being tear apart since he does not want to take sides, a major element of peacekeeping. In spite of the burdensome of listening to his brothers quarrel, he constantly tries to settle the disagreement. Sodapop continues to state, ““Golly, you two, it’s bad enough having to listen to it, but when you start trying to get me to take sides…” Tears welled up in his eyes. “We’re all we got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything,””(page 176). Another example of Sodapop demonstrating his role of peacekeeping occurs when he sends a letter to Ponyboy while Pony is in an abandoned church due to an argument with Dally. Soda writes, “Darry is awful sorry he hit you. You know he didn’t mean it,” (page 81). Even during dreadful situations, Soda attempts to sustain peace, regardless of Ponyboy being a distance away. In conclusion, being a peacekeeper is an ideal description of Sodapop and is one of the many important responsibilities he acquires throughout the

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