Sodapop The Outsiders

Should children really be taken away from their family and be put into a group home? Do people even care that children might get sent into a group home and never see their family again? In the book entitled The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, is the journey with the main character named Ponyboy Curtis and how he struggles with his life as a greaser. Ponyboy gets mixed up in a crime and runs away to escape the life of a greaser to a countryside where he always dreamed to be, until everything crashes down. The government is debating whether or not to put Ponyboy into a group home because the government believes his guardians, Darry Curtis and Sodapop Curtis, aren’t being the responsible adults they should be. Ponyboy shouldn’t be put into a group home

Darry is hard on Ponyboy because he doesn’t want him to become a high school dropout like Soda. “Darry had cooked dinner; Baked chicken, potatoes, and corn. Two chickens because all three of us eat like horses” (Hinton, 131). Generally Speaking, Darry doesn’t just work too, Sodapop actually dropped out of high school to work with Darry to support all three of them. Soda and Darry work to make sure Ponyboy has a meal on the table for him, a nice bed, and a clothes. Who knows what his life could be like in a group home. Ponyboy may or may not get a nice bed, or even new clothes, so Darry really is his dad figure in their household. “I’d hate to see the day when I had to get my nerve from a can. I’d tried drinking once before. The stuff tasted awful, I got sick, had a headache, and when Darry found out, he grounded me for two weeks. But that was the last time I’d ever drink.” This quote shows that Darry is really aware of what Ponyboy does, and tracks most things he does just to make sure he’s safe not not getting into trouble as Darry thinks he is. Also, Darry is really making sure to discipline Ponyboy if he drinks, and does monitor Ponyboy when he smokes. To sum up, Darry really tries to help Ponyboy out, and truly does care for Ponyboy. He doesn’t want Ponyboy to keep growing up without his brothers by his side. Darry can really teach Ponyboy so

“You don’t yell at him!” Darry wheeled around and slapped me so hard that it knocked me against the door”(Hinton, 50). Even though, Darry did slap Ponyboy, he really didn’t mean to. Darry probably hit Ponyboy as a reflex. It is seen right away, Darry didn’t mean to hit Ponyboy because he said ‘sorry’ right after. That’s not physical or mental abuse because Darry never lays a finger on Pony. They would never hurt each other on purpose, maybe on accident but never on purpose. Their bond is so tight, that they are all afraid of losing each other. As can be seen, Darry would never hurt any of his family or the gang, because that’s all he has and all he wants is to keep his family and friends for as long as he