Bullying In The Outsiders

In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, bullying is the normal thing for someone to do. Bullying is unwanted or unneeded actions or words that are said or done to hurt someone and their feelings. They may make the bully feel powerful and make the victim feel unsafe. Some bullying may be online and other times face to face. Kids are affected in different ways. Some kids who are bullied may become a bully, others may become depressed or feel unsafe everywhere they go. In Hinton's novel, everyone either experiences bullying or has bullied someone. Hinton's novel was written in 1967 when bullying wasn't controlled that well. Bullying wasn't seen as the biggest problem or not a problem at all, it wasn't controlled and no one was punished for doing

One example is on page 22. Here, Ponyboy is talking the Cherry Valance and he just told him his name is Ponyboy, “Then I waited for the “You're kidding!” or “That's your real name?” or one of the remarks I usually get.” In this line, the audience realized how Pony usually gets bullied because his name is Ponyboy. It doesn't say it directly, but you can catch it. Another example is on page 33, Ponyboy thinks about when Johnny got attacked, “They had caught him and one of them had a lot of rings on his hand --- that's what had cut Johnny up so badly. It wasn't just that they had beaten him half to death -- he could take that.They scared him. They threatened him with everything under the sun.” This was a very physical example of bullying. Johnny had been hurt for days and was never the same again, he even carries a knife now. This shows how being bullied can affect you permanently. Also, on page 42, Ponyboy got annoyed with Johnny and snapped at him, “ 'An' you can shut your trap, Johnny Cade, 'cause we all know you ain't wanted at home, either. And you can't blame them.' ” This is a form of verbal bullying. Pony used Johnny's weakness, his family situation, to turn on him and make him feel bad about

Even though they have the same ideas, the book has more depth to the situation and how bullying impact them. In the novel on page 42, Pony says, “ 'An' you can shut your trap, Johnny Cade, 'cause we all know you ain't wanted at home, either. And you can't blame them.' ” In this quote from the book, the readers get a bigger feeling on how harsh and how hard Pony was on Johnny. In the book, Pony said 'And you can't blame them,' whereas in the movie, this line was taken out. The line in the book adds to the how harsh and mean Pony was to Johnny. It also emphasises the struggle Johnny has at home. The director might've cut this out because he thought the point had already gotten across and he felt the line wasn't necessary. Another part of the book that shows bullying is on page 22, Pony is telling Cherry his real name and she doesn't react like other people, “Then I waited for the “You're kidding!” or “That's your real name?” or one of the remarks I usually get.” In this quote from the novel, the readers understand how shocked Pony was when Cherry didn't bully him because of him name, she actually liked it. In the movie, the same thing happens. This scene and quote isn't exactly bullying but it shows how Pony usually gets made fun of for his name. The director wanted to keep this scene in the movie to show that not all Socs were bad and mean. This was important to show that Cherry was nice and