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The Theme Of Coming Of Age In The Outsiders

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The Outsiders, written by SE Hinton represents the social values of their society through the choices made within the genre. The book The Outsiders written in the perspective of a young boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles to find what is right and what is wrong in society and what his identity is, and who he is as a person. The genre of this book is coming of age. Coming of age is the transition of a child becoming an adult and their journey to becoming an adult and all the problems they face along the way. Hinton explores this genre through the stages of realization, removal, challenge, and reintegration. The Outsiders, written by SE Hinton represents the social values identity and respect through the choices made within the genre. …show more content…

Hinton shows these concepts through the theme individual identity vs group identity. This theme is shown throughout the whole book as Ponyboy and others find out what they value as an individual and who or what they want to be. For instance in chapter 1 page 2 and 3 it states “Socs. I'm not sure how you spell it, but it's the abbreviation for the Socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids. It's like the term "greaser," which is used to class all us boys on the East Side." This line tells us how different the socs are to the greasers. It shows us the contrast of the 2 worlds that they live in with the socs living on the rich west side and the greasers on the poor east side. It also shows us how they are viewed as a whole and not as individuals because of where they live and how they grew …show more content…

The curtis brothers had lost their parents at a very young age and rely on their friends for emotional support. Darry the oldest brother had no choice but to step in as the father figure for his 2 younger brothers which helped strengthen their relationship and the stability of the family. In chapter 10 it says “It was Dally. He phoned from a booth. He’s just robbed a grocery store and the cops are after him. We gotta hide him. He’ll be at the lot in a minute” the gang's friendship shows that they will do anything for their fellow member and even if the cops are after them they will hide them even if they get caught in the process. It shows the gangs loyalty to each other and how much they care for eachother even if some of them aren't as close, they still treat each other like family. Furthermore Ponyboy and Johnny show their loyalty to each other in chapter 5 where they fled to an abandoned church. Ponyboy could've left Jonny and not have to risk getting caught by the police since he did not kill Bob but he decided to help Johnny since he killed Bob to save Ponyboy. This shows their relationship and how loyal they are to each other. This value links back to the genre since it shows us the journey of the characters and their relationship to each other helping each other overcome obstacles and

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How Does Hinton Show Loyalty In The Outsiders

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The Outsiders is a novel written by S.E. Hinton and takes place in Oklahoma during the 1960s. One theme in this novel that stands out most to me is loyalty. The story is told by Ponyboy Curtis, and illustrates his conflict with right and wrong in his world, where he feels like an outsider. Loyalty to Ponyboy means giving and receiving honor, integrity, trust, support, family, pride, honesty and faithful to those closest to him.

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Summary In S. E. Hinton's 'The Outsiders'

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He tells the reader about his life being turned upside down after making one childish mistake. The greaser struggle more than the Socs because they are poor, the Socs jump them, and people think that they are trash. The greasers do not have money or own very much. “We’re poorer than the Socs an the middle class.”

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How Does Hinton's Use Of Characterisation In The Outsiders

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"The Outsiders" is a seminal coming-of-age novel authored by S.E. Hinton and originally published in 1967. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis, a member of a gang called the Greasers, who perpetually finds himself at odds with the affluent and privileged Socs. The central premise of the novel involves the significance of learning from mistakes and overcoming challenges. Hinton employs the literary technique of characterisation to effectively communicate this message to the reader. Ponyboy Curtis is a young and impressionable protagonist who confronts various challenges throughout the narrative.

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929 Words | 4 Pages

The Outsiders is a novel created by S.E. Hinton in 1967, which follows the lives of Greasers and Socs, two different social classes. The Greasers were generally the economically disadvantaged youngsters of Tulsa, Oklahoma and were known for their long hair, leather jackets and rebellious attitudes, while the Socs were the wealthy teenagers, privileged with “money, cars and futures”. This thought-provoking novel specifically focuses on a teenager, Ponyboy Curtis and his experiences with his gang members. The book was written by Hinton in an attempt to showcase that Greasers deserved respect, despite their economic and social status. She also wanted to display that Socs face challenges quite frequently even though they have an easier life.

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Using Cherry and Ponyboy’s similarities, the relationship of the Curtis brothers, and the reason for Bob’s actions the author gradually helped the readers understand this. All of these characters had similar aspects of being misunderstood and cursed with their title of being a Greaser or Soc. Even in today’s world people can live by this rule of not judging others based on their appearance; like, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, or sex. This book teaches all of us that when we divide ourselves and our communities nothing will change and hate and discrimination will continue. Before judging someone, allow yourself to put yourself in their shoes and understand who they are.

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The Outsiders is a book by S.E Hinton about two social classes called the Soc’s and the Greasers. The Soc’s are wealthy and powerful people with a lust for power and give no sympathy to anyone, not even another Soc. Greasers are the lower class and are viewed as being thugs and horrible people. Most Greasers care for both themselves and others that are Greasers. The Outsiders have both a book and a movie.

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When Ponyboy was thinking about what the people in the gang do what they do, he assumed that Greasers and Socs are divergent. Ponyboy thinks to himself, “We deserve a lot of our trouble...both of them have too much energy, too much feeling, with no way to blow it off.” (Hinton 16) This quote has a deep meaning because it shows that the Socs choices are more narrow, displaying that when a Soc does something wrong, they could lose their fame and their luxury. On the other hand, the greasers have boundless choices because they have nothing to lose. They are already at the bottom, so most of the things they do, won’t really change what they already have.

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The Outsiders Analysis

224 Words | 1 Pages

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1447 Words | 6 Pages

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