Name: Isabella Yaya Class: 8Fry Due Date: May 21, 2024 Goal: Use good transition words to make essay flow. The Outsiders Essay Ponyboy Curtis is the protagonist of The Outsiders. He’s 14 years old and lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. He is the youngest member of the Greasers, who have an ongoing feud with the Socs. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and going to the movie theaters alone. In school, he does exceptionally well academically, but especially on the track team. During the story, Ponyboy changes his point of view on Socs, deals with the aftermath of Bob’s murder, and moves forward from the deaths of his friends. Ponyboy is part of the Greasers, whose rival group is the Socs. He reasons that he hates the Socs …show more content…
Johnny suggests they cut and bleach their hair, but Ponyboy is apprehensive. It is apparent from the beginning that Ponyboy finds his long hair an important part of his identity as a greaser. Cutting it to evade the police now makes him feel miserable. Before the rumble between the Socs and Greasers, he speaks to Randy and gains more insight into the Socs. Randy states, “...We’ll forget it if you win or if you don’t. Greasers will still be greasers, and Socs will be Socs.” (Hinton 117) Combined with Cherry and Randy, he begins to grasp the idea that both Socs and greasers face similar issues, despite their differences. Now Ponyboy feels slightly hesitant to join the rumble since he knows that fighting will never change Socs and Greasers. He is also described as considerate. He saved the kids trapped inside the burning church. He found himself partially responsible for the fire and wanted to do the right thing. Cherry Valance even describes Ponyboy as more compassionate than the other greasers, even cleaning the broken glass off the road so a car doesn't get a flat tire. Throughout the story, Ponyboy has gone through many life-changing events that reshaped him. Ponyboy is not as innocent as he used to be, and it is evident that these events have traumatized him. Ponyboy was sick and unconscious for days after the rumble and Johnny and Dally's deaths. He lies to himself