The Outsiders Identity Essay

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (1967) reflects the rising disappointment and division Americans felt in the 1960s when the youth began to actively engage in politics and discovering their identities. Her novel strives to increase societal recognition of underprivileged communities and affirm the identity, perspectives, and encounters of young individuals. Young Americans' voices and identities were finally recognised throughout the 1960s. A fresh knowledge of the difficulties faced by various socioeconomic groups emerged. Most significantly, S.E. Hinton delves further into this concept in her book "The Outsiders" through the contrasted characters. The protagonist of the book, Ponyboy, represents one group of young Americans, and the antagonist

The greasers, who reside in the less affluent eastern part of town, have long, slicked-back hair with hair grease and frequently engage in conflict. They exhibit toughness, gang loyalty, and a strong sense of unity, yet they face social and economic challenges with their self-identity and their socioeconomic background. This sense of a greaser’s identity is mainly portrayed through the thoughts and ideas of the novel’s narrator and protagonist. S.E. Hinton utilises a recurring motif to examine the identity of the greaser persona, specifically Ponyboy Curtis. In the first chapter of the novel, S.E. Hinton brings forwards the characterisation of her protagonist, Ponyboy. S.E. Hinton characterises Ponyboy when he says, "My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs... I look better with long hair." The characterisation of the novel's protagonist allows the reader to develop an understanding of his identity through his hair, as his hair is a part of his self-identity. Further along, near the middle of the novel, Ponyboy fears the loss of himself when S.E. Hinton skilfully utilises multiple literary devices in the quote ""Oh, no!" My hand flew to my hair. "No, Johnny, not my hair!"" This line reveals, with the exclamatory tone in his dialogue and assistance from ecphonesis, the fact that Ponyboy is somewhat obsessed with his own identity and fears that he will lose it if he has to cut and

Ponyboy is presented as more introspective, uneasy, and vulnerable than Bob, who is charming and assured but also a troublemaker and a tormentor. Ponyboy is more of a follower, and Bob is considered a leader. Bob, the antagonist, is a "Soc." In S.E. Hinton’s novel, the word Soc is short for social. The Socs are considered to be part of the upper end of the community and are well-off and wealthy people. They live on the west side of the fictional town, are typically bullies, and want to start scrimmages. S.E. Hinton showcases Bob’s identity through different characters' perspectives in her novel. Different roles in S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" had different opinions on the persona of Bob, they all thought differently about him from their different points of view. Cherry Valance, another Soc, says, "Bob was a good guy in his own way. He just didn't know what he was doing." Justifying his actions. Randy Adderson, a former friend of the deceased Bob, said, "I liked him. He was a good guy." Expressing his personal opinion on Bob Sheldon. Johnny says that "Bob was a spoiled brat who always got what he wanted." Exposing his true thoughts on the elitist socialite. Two-Bit declares that "Bob was a mean drunk, and he loved to beat up greasers just for the fun of it." Representing his personal experiences, he has faces with Bob. The views, perspectives, and