ipl-logo

Group Identity In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

691 Words3 Pages

In the novel, The Outsiders by S.E Hinton the readers are presented with many life lessons in the book. One of which, is how group identity is so powerful that it can overshadow individual identity. The characters are put into the category of Socs or Greasers and their friends and upbringings are how they are recognized in society. This lesson is crucial for kids today because it will help kids comprehend that they do not have to re-identify themselves to fit into a group. It will also remind kids today that they have an identity of their own that is unique, and that groups do not define them as a person. In this book there happens to be several examples of this lesson. To begin, the kids who are associated with a group called the Greasers …show more content…

The second group called the Socs, are very wealthy and the Greasers believe they have the best life. But because the people within the group have the title of Socs no one assumes that they could possibly be unhappy. Ponyboy says on page 36, “I really couldn’t see what Socs would have to sweat about—good grades, good cars, good girls, madras and Mustangs and Corvairs—Man, I thought, if I had worries like that I’d consider myself lucky.” But later on in the book, he says that he now understands why that's wrong. On page 38, a female Soc describes one of the problems Socs have, “It seems like we’re always searching for something to satisfy us, and never finding it.” This quote tells us that being labeled a Soc influences society's belief about how she and other Socs live. Even the though the Socs have money they aren’t all necessarily happy as Cherry Valance describes for us in the book. Finally, we have Cherry Valance, my last example of group identity overshadowing individual identity. Cherry Valance is a very popular cheerleader who has also been labeled as a Soc. She reveals to Ponyboy that she sometimes finds herself talking to another Soc even though she doesn’t believe what she’s saying. On page 38 she says, “You know sometimes I’ll catch myself talking to a girl-friend, and realize I don’t mean half of what

Show More
Related

Similarities And Differences In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

435 Words | 2 Pages

In the story The Outsiders written by S.E Hinton, there are two rival groups/ gangs, the greasers and the Socs. A young boy named Ponyboy explained his journey being a greaser and the sacrifices, consequences, and decisions he had to manage with. This story reminds me of William Shakespeare's story Romeo and Juliet of their similarities which are they gangs, fights, and loyalty and differences that are the wealthiness, behaviors, and between the two books. One of the similarities of the two books is the groups/ gangs, because in Romeo and Juliet there are the Montague and Capulets and in The Outsiders there are the greasers and the Socs. They are both enemies and try to sabotage and fight each other when every they have the chance to.

Read More

The Outsiders Theme Of Identity

301 Words | 2 Pages

While S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders touches on identity, agency, and community, I believe the major theme is identity. The question of how people can be so different and have such different lifestyles yet share the same fundamental human characteristics is one that Hinton explores in depth through Ponyboy’s examination of his own identity and the identities of the other young adults in his town. Ponyboy grapples with the distinction between greasers and Socs several times throughout the novel, such as when Cherry Valance claims “you greasers have a different set of values” (38). In the same conversation with Cherry, Ponyboy later claims that the reason greasers and Socs are different is that “it’s feeling – you don’t feel anything and we feel

Read More

Menace In The Outsiders

550 Words | 3 Pages

The Outsiders Have you ever wished you could be rich? Or have a bigger house? Do you think that those who are not rich are a menace? Well in the book The Oustiders by S.E Hinton, The socs are more of a menace than the greasers because of the money they have, their parents mindset, and the society’s popular choice.

Read More

View Of People In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

866 Words | 4 Pages

What would you do if you were wanted for murder and everyone was trying to prove you are nothing but a violent greaser. One realistic fiction novel that touches on society's view of people is The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. There are two main groups of people in the book: the rich and the poor, or the soc’s and the greasers. Some key characters I will bring up in the essay are Jerry Woods, a school teacher, Randy Anderson, a soc, Ponyboy Curtis, Dallas Winston, and Johnny Cade which the three of them are greasers and our main protagonists. Although some people at school were afraid of Ponyboy, the opinion of greasers did change for the better because of Randy Anderson trying to stop the social divide, Jerry woods praising the Greasers for heroics,

Read More

Examples Of Stereotypes In The Outsiders

141 Words | 1 Pages

The lower class Greasers are often seen as unintelligent, and criminals, and the Soc’s are seen as the rich kids with perfect lives. The novel breaks down these stereotypes by demonstrating that the Greasers can be heroic and intelligent, and the Socs can be people who

Read More

Individuality In The Outsiders

1130 Words | 5 Pages

When Ponyboy was thinking about what the people in the gang do what they do, he assumed that Greasers and Socs are divergent. Ponyboy thinks to himself, “We deserve a lot of our trouble...both of them have too much energy, too much feeling, with no way to blow it off.” (Hinton 16) This quote has a deep meaning because it shows that the Socs choices are more narrow, displaying that when a Soc does something wrong, they could lose their fame and their luxury. On the other hand, the greasers have boundless choices because they have nothing to lose. They are already at the bottom, so most of the things they do, won’t really change what they already have.

Read More

Two Groups In The Outsiders

1635 Words | 7 Pages

The Greasers are from a lower socioeconomic class and have lack of family support. The Socs are from a middle to upper socioeconomic class and have full family involvement. The groups dress differently and have different visions of life. The Greasers and the Socs have been in

Read More

How Is Johnny Cade A Hero

1237 Words | 5 Pages

Mark Waid once said, "Heroism is heroism, regardless of the timeframe or the backdrop. " In the novel, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, the focus is on two social groups. The Socs are the preppy and rich kids, and the greasers are the poor, trouble-making kids. Johnny Cade was a greaser.

Read More

Examples Of Individualism In Mean Girls

1189 Words | 5 Pages

In this group we have people who present different types like the kid Brian who has to be really good in school because he has a lot of grade pressure from his dad. The rich girl Claire, who can’t escape from the group pressure of her friends. The athlete Andrew, who has problems with the expectation pressure of his dad. The rebel John who has a violent father and the black dressed girl Allison who is said because her personality isn’t accepted from her parents. So all this kids coming from a different background and all of them have their own problems and secrets.

Read More

Social Identity Theory In Mean Girls

1719 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Social identification is a very important source of both one’s pride and self-esteem. Because groups give us a sense of social identity and belongingness to the social world, intergroup relations have a huge impact on the actions we engage ourselves in. “We are not born with senses of self. Rather, self arises from interaction with others” (Griffin, 2012). In this paper I will first give a summary of Tajfel and Turner’s Social Identity Theory.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Self Driving Cars

788 Words | 4 Pages

Self driving cars-con Did you know that self driving cars have been a future dream since the 1930s? In fact experts were positive that the cars would be flying by on the road by the 1960s. Although this would have been a great thing to have, everything has a downside and self driving cars have quite a few. Self driving cars may promote safety concerns because if there is an accident or a technology fail, self driving cars won’t be able to read human signals, causing accidents.

Read More

Of Stereotyping In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

594 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton illustrates a theme of stereotyping and its effect on the characters. The protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis is the most affected by stereotyping. Ponyboy is stereotyped as a greaser. He accepts this stereotype, but is negatively affected by it, because society views greasers as poor, bellicose, delinquents from the East Side.

Read More

Group Identity In The Outsiders

122 Words | 1 Pages

In S.E. Hinton’s story, The Outsiders, group identity is so important that sometimes people overshadow their own identity. In our generation it is kind of the same way to some people, for instance people sometimes act and dress differently around the popular kids to fit in. While at home they do their normal routine and stay true to themselves. This is so important to the story for many reasons. It is also really important to kids this age in 2017.

Read More

Nightlife Culture

2151 Words | 9 Pages

Through the years, the definition of identity has become sparse and difficult to characterize. However, identity has been associated with social category and socially distinguishing features that one presents to another person (Fearon, 1999; Clarke, 2011). Thus, without society, identity is non-existent even if the self is present as others need to be present in order for one to affirm and appropriate an identity to him/her self. In several instances, I observed how clubbers create their persona by showing off branded clothes and shoes.

Read More

Cultural Exchange Through Cultural Appropriation

844 Words | 4 Pages

For as long as cultures have been meeting and clashing there has existed cultural exchange and a transference of cultural goods. This transfer is inevitable but when does this cultural exchange cross the threshold into cultural appropriation? While cultural appropriation has existed in many forms across time, in the modern world of globalization this phenomenon has become an issue ameliorated by the flow of information and how stretches from food and fashion to deeply cultural expression and traditions. As we move forward and aim to achieve a truly multicultural society, one must understand where lines are drawn and how to properly respect the cultural property of other groups. To begin this understanding, we would like to understand how an

Read More

More about Group Identity In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

Related Topics

Open Document