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The Outsiders Identity Essay

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Brent May 31, 2023 5a The Greasers: A Band of Brothers Identity is the notion of how one perceives their own-self as well as how they believe others perceive them; whether good or bad identity is an important part of life and acceptance of that identity is crucial to find happiness. Ponyoby Curtis from the novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton has a hard time deciding which identity he finds more important; whether it's his family or his academic standards, or his gang and their stereotypes. In the end however, Ponyboy realizes that his group identity is more important to him than how he thinks of himself. To begin, Ponyboy's self-identity constructs his personality and his emotions, and how others view him. Whether being viewed as different …show more content…

He mainly tries to shape his self-identity off his group. This is clear because while The Greasers are hanging out and talking about Johnny´s situation at home and how this gang is like family to him, Ponyboy notes that “Socs had so much spare time and money that they jumped each other for kicks…things were rough all over, all right. All over the east side.¨ (43) Because he stayed through tough times and is currently living through them this displays that he really cares about his gang and how it's like his family. Another reason that his group identity is stronger is because, while Cherry and Marcia are worried Dally is going to hurt them, Ponyboy notes that “When you’re a gang, you stick up for the members” (26) because he sticks up for the members of his gang no matter what. This reveals his loyalty to the gang and all the other members and how truly important it is to him. A final example proving once and for all that his group identity is more important is while starting the Socs down at the Rumble Ponyboy says the reason for this is because “[they] wanted to show [they] were greaser’s” (122) him sticking with his gang through the Rumble and showing that they were greasers a a band of brother exemplifies the idea of his commitment to his gang and to stand by them no matter

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Ponyboy from the novel “The outsiders” is very different from the Gang the Greasers In many ways. One example that Ponyboy is not like other greasers because he thinks deeper than the other members in his gang he notices the little things in life for example, “you know, Johnny said slowly, “I never noticed colors and clouds and stuff until you kept reminding me about them. It seems like they were never there before.” This means that when Ponyboy notices the little things he says them and has other People notice them too. Ponyboy has learned a lot throughout the story.

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And according to Ponyboy, loyalty is what keeps his gang, “The Greasers”, together. He and his orphaned brothers have grown up with these other kids and know each other well. An example of loyalty quoted from the novel The Outsiders, “You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick

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In the beginning the book ponyboy grows up hating the Socs. The Socs have have all the power and money and ponyboy hates them for this and also hates them because they are always picking on and fighting greasers. They do this because they think that they they’re better than the greasers. He hates them even more after he gets jumped. “I fought to get

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It takes a lot in a person to be the glue that holds the gang together. Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a big asset to the gang he is in, Greasers because he is very intelligent. Ponyboy lives with his two brothers Darrel and Sodapop Curtis after their parents had died in a car crash years before. Ponyboy is very anxious sometimes but he is also very overconfident because he only worries about himself unless there is a reason to worry about his brothers or gang. First, Ponyboy is intelligent.

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Ponyboy’s feelings and attitude towards the Socs changes in many different ways throughout the novel. His initial attitude towards the Socs was all about looking cool and tuff all the time. It was how things were. The forces behind his change in attitude are the softer sides of the Socs. His final attitude towards the Socs were softened, even though his gang still hate them.

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The biggest influence in shaping Ponyboy’s identity was his loyalty to his gang as throughout the book the author shows just how loyal Ponyboy is. To begin with, in the story, Darry did not want Ponyboy to go to the rumble because he was quite beat up. However, Ponyboy really believed he should go because they were down in numbers and he wanted to fight for his gang anyway. In the text it said, “Oh, no, I thought in mortal fear, I’ve got to be in it. Right then the most important thing in my life was helping us whip the Socs.”

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Ponyboy is set apart from the rest of the greasers because he likes to watch movies and books he describes his brothers as “never cracks a book” and “ works to hard to be interested in a story” he also states he isn 't like the other greasers because “ nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do”

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Ponyboy lived with his two brothers Darry and Sodapop after his parents were killed in a car accident. Ponyboy had some friends in the gang: Steve, Two-Bit, Dally but his best friend was a boy named Johnny who was considered the gang`s mascot. Ponyboy was a boy who always wanted to be tough but an accident that happened in the story might make him change of mind on what he wanted to be. He also finds a way of how to finish the gang that was taking place from many tima.

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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

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At my elementary school, there was a big field right next to the playground where my male peers would play football. I always wanted to join their game and try to play, so they put me on a team to be nice to be nice but they never hurled the ball to me. This was because I am a girl and they believed girls couldn’t correctly play football, little did they know this made me feel as invisible as a ghost. This is a common feeling for a lot of innocuous kids because they don’t fit in.

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When Ponyboy talks about the bond the greasers have with each other, he explains, “Or I could have gotten one of the gang to come along, one of the four boys Darry and Soda and I have grown up with and consider family. We’re almost as close as brothers; when you grow up in a tight-knight neighborhood like ours you get to know each other real well”(Hinton 3). Pony’s bond he has with the boys in the gang shows how much he really relies on them. Multiple instances in the book have proven this as well. He can count on them for anything and knows they always have his back and vice versa.

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Before the rumble, Ponyboy realized the difference between his gang and the Socs. The greasers weren’t just a gang; they had a strong connection. The Socs were just a gang; they had no compassion, no love. Dally killed himself because of Johnny’s death but Randy hid his feelings not wanting to show them; his reputation mattered more. “That was the difference between his gang and ours- they had a leader and were

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Before the rumble Ponyboy realized the difference between his gang and the Socs. “That was the difference between his gang and ours- they had a leader and were organized; we were just buddies who stuck together- each man was his own leader.(Hinton 138)”. The Socs were just a group of adolescents together for social reasons and were engaging delinquent behavior. The greasers stood up for more than that; they stood up for Johnny, for the hard times they’ve been through, for their respect.

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However, he is negatively affected by it. An example of Ponyboy accepting his stereotype is when he fights in the rumble against the Socs, with the other greasers. He is not ashamed to be fighting with his friends, even though he states that he has no reason for fighting. Additionally, Ponyboy is upset when he is forced to cut and bleach his hair, because he wanted to look “tuff” like his friends.

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