The Outsiders Get Smart And Nothing Can Touch Me

The novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton expresses how Ponyboy is okay to be different, even though he’s distinct from the other gang members because he’s intellectual, enjoys watching the sunsets, and performs heroic actions. When Ponyboy returns to school after the rumble, he finds several socs and changes his personality, recalling what Dally said to him, “Get smart and nothing can touch you” (171). While some greasers aren’t able to attend school and get a good education, Ponyboy is “smart” enough to get a college scholarship. Additionally, he has a path for his future laid out in front of him, and has more opportunities to support himself, make a living, and have a good lifestyle, unlike the other members of the gang. Also, he can use his intelligence to his advantage, so that “nothing can touch [him],” like knowing the effects of bursting out that Dally faced, and

Just don’t forget that some of us watch the sunset too” (46). When Ponyboy says, “some of us watch the sunset too,” Ponyboy reveals how he appreciates and cherishes the pleasant moments in life and believes that not everything is terrible, although for some greasers it’s too late and they see with a hardened perspective. Furthermore, the text conveys, “aren’t in the same class,” which illustrates how even though the socs and greasers seem distinguished from each other due to their higher and lower social status, Ponyboy is open-minded and realizes that both groups share the same sun and see the same sights. Likewise, the text exhibits, “They’d never believe a greasy-looking mug could be a hero - y’all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn’t ‘turn’ all of a sudden” (107). In a stereotypical view, society labels greasers as hoods who commit crimes, rob stores, have violent behaviors and are looked down upon with a lower social