A stereotype is how people see you according to others around you or a particular characteristic. A choice is a decision you make when faced with two or more possibilities. Which one do you think shows who you are as a person? In The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy is constantly stereotyped for things that do not relate to him as a person. Though, he makes a life-changing choice to save kids in a burning church, which changes the perspective of how people have seen him his entire life. Both stereotypes and choices influence a person's identity, but a person's choices show who they are, not who other people see them as. The events of stereotyping in The Outsiders continuously prove the effect it has on the characters and how they choose to live their lives. Throughout the book, Ponyboy is stereotyped as a hoodlum, eventually it …show more content…
Throughout the book, the characters make choices that lead to showing their true identity as individual people, not their gang. For example when Two-Bit says, ¨That's why I came over. Mr. Timothy Shepard and Co. are looking for whoever so kindly slashed their tires, and since Mr. Curly Shepard spotted Dallas doing it… well… Does Dally have a blade?” (Hinton). This quote shows that Dally chose to be seen as a hoodlum, there was no stereotyping, just Dally making a choice that reflected who he is. In Life of Reilly, the coach of the Faith football team sends a message out to the fans stating, ¨Here is the message I want you to send: You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth.¨ If the coach did not send this message to his fans, then the Gainesville kids would have continued to feel what they are stereotyped as, criminals and a danger to society. Instead, Coach Hogan chose to make them feel special, just as any other kid. This choice led the Gainesville kids to no longer see Hogan as they see everyone else, but instead as a