The narrator is an eighteen-year-old boy who is in High School. He is a member of a gang with several others. He is a not as tough as the other members because he is feeling guilty and does not look forward to tease the fat kid, while the rest of gang members have another thought in their heads. They are looking forward to humiliate the fat kid.
The conflict for the narrator is defined as a struggle between two opposing forces. He has to be a part of the teasing and the cruelty because of the gang, even though he does not want to be a part of the cruelty, so he is kind of trapped. He cannot combine his thoughts and feelings into his actions.
The reason why the narrator does not say anything is that he is afraid of losing his friends. The members of the gang is his social environment. “Miles Morgan, Ronnie Dougan, Terrance “Terry” Smalls and Jay O’Neal were my friends, my family, my brothers.”
He sees them as the only people he can count on. If he choose to speak up and they do not like what they hear, then he ends up with nothing but his loneliness. Nobody wants to be alone, especially not when you have the decision of either having friends and support or to lose it all, so even though he knows it is wrong he chooses to feel guilty and to value what he has.
The theme of the story is peer pressure. In a gang, it is unfortunately impossible to have an opinion. The story shows an example of how feelings cannot be included in actions. The narrator has to be a part of the cruelty.
It can be worse in some gangs. For example in MS-13, when a person wants to join them, he or she has to either get beaten up or raped and afterwards the leaders will order him or her to kill someone.
When you finally get in, there is no turning back. If you get an order to do something, then you have to do it, otherwise you will get in trouble. This is all because of the peer pressure.
The narrator feels guilty because of what he is doing - but no matter what, his feelings lose influence on what he is doing due to peer pressure.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
What were the causes of the Watts Riot in 1965? Who labeled it a riot? How did…
- 417 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
When most of us think of gang war, we think of the bloods vs crips, or the other big city gangs. However, most of us do not know what gang life was like in the mid 1900’s. Inside this book, the author outshines herself in the production of a story so true, it makes us think to our core and ask ourselves, would I have done the same thing? In this book, set in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1965, the story follows greaser gang member, Ponyboy curtis. In this essay, the witch of the gang’s fault of Bob and Johnny’s deaths will be analysed and presented through 4 paragraphs.…
- 610 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The film Boyz ‘n the Hood, directed by John Singleton is more than just a Hollywood blockbuster. The film incorporates numerous criminological theories and also demonstrates the concepts of conformity and deviance. This paper will analyze the characters of Tre, Ricky, Doughboy, Furious and other friends and family and show how criminological theories and the concepts of conformity and deviance play a part in their lives.…
- 1007 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
It is no secret that many children who live in Fresno will end up in a gang. Eddie is no exception; but he tries, at least, to lead a respectable life. The gangs form more than just friendship and never like to lose a member. Eddie might have left the gang but they never left him, always watching and trying to steer him back to their rebellious ways. The younger gangs are made up of immature school children that irritate Eddie. He becomes more frustrated with them and…
- 793 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
First of all, gang violence is everywhere although we do not see it at times, it is there and we should be aware of this social issue that happen in someone life. Some folks may think that these people that are in gangs were born into it or they just like to break the laws. Some of us may never know the answer why they are in gangs but we can seek our answers in books. For example in the book “ Always Running” , by Luis rodriguez in pages 50-68 it summarizes that Luis rodriguez joins a gang with his friend name the Animal Tribe in which he says he wants respect and to show he can take care of himself. As a result this ruins Luis’s relationship with his mom which makes him leave the…
- 562 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Certain behaviors demonstrated by the adolescent become unregulated and uncontrolled. These youths grow up and due to their unregulated behavior, consequently corrupt the future youths of the community they live in (Why Do Youth Join Gangs?). Their behaviors become cultural norms within the community resulting in the creation of barriers that prevent social and economic opportunities. The defiant character that may manifest from gang affiliation produces a “fatalistic view of the world” providing the youth with the interpretation that everything or anything that happens around them is fate and…
- 1401 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
When daylight comes, he and the boys regroup only to encounter two young broads who want to do drugs and party. Although it was really what they had been searching for all along, the boys deny their request and decide to go home instead. In one night, his fast paced life as a thug was over. Left to deal with the consequences of what he had done already, the protagonist of this story will surely never go down a path like that ever…
- 581 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Thesis: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, a novel which tells the story of conflict between the "greasers" and the "Socs," captures the voice of ponyboy and his friends in a realistic way that relates to boys and their gangs even today.…
- 2399 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
When discussing conflict everyone has their own definition, but it would generally be agreed that it requires a disagreement between individuals within a group. However, my definition of conflict would be a mental struggle between the character and a clash between two or more characters with different interests. A conflict presents itself in various forms. It may also come willingly or unwillingly affecting a person's mind or a person's actions. A conflict can either be a blessing or a curse. This essay will show how 3 books with different conflicts changed a character's life or the characters' way of thinking.…
- 643 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The struggle of people emotionally and physically is the downfall and corruption of society. S.E Hinton, author of The Outsiders tells a story about two kids named Johnny and Ponyboy who are in a gang called the Greasers. They live in a wrong doing world of gangs and fights. After Johnny protects Ponyboy by killing a rival gang member named Bob, the two boys run away. A young criminal named Dally helps them escape. After an incident with a burning church Johnny dies and Dally dies soon after because of the sorrow Johnny’s death caused him. In the novel The Outsiders, S.E Hinton demonstrates that violence can lead to nothing more than emotional hardships, crime, and death.…
- 697 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
8. What is the main type of conflict in this story. Provide examples from the story to explain your answer.…
- 272 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Paragraph 2 - Describe the main characters, the gangs, and the point of view (who is telling the story). What is the mood or tone?…
- 264 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Gangs never just developed as an accident. Society had inadvertently produced them in such a manner that the only approach to defeating it a social problem would be the confrontation of society’s location with them (Klein 3). In reality, doing this meant having to confront the relationship to street gangs to come face to face with the understanding of our own selves.…
- 2376 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays -
On the narrator’s graduation day he delivered a speech that stressed, “Humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress.”( ) Although he did not believe the words in his speech, it proved to be very popular among the important white citizens in the town. He was invited to give the speech at an occasion at a local smoker in front of a white audience. The occasion also included a battle royal which is a free-for-all fight in which their can only be one victor. The fighters are all African American boys. The narrator was told that he must join the fight with his schoolmates. The narrator is not particularly fond of the group he is about to…
- 1725 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
The two gangs in our story are the Greasers which come from the economically struggling east side while the socs their rival gang come from the economically thriving west side. In chapter 1 Ponyboy explains his life how his parents died in a car accident and how he lives with his 2 brothers Sodapop and Darry he then goes on to state the current relationship of the gang how they are in a constant gang war. After explaining he is shown walking down the street and he states that he is in danger because he is labeled by society as a “Greaser” because he was walking on the east side. As if foreshadowing what was going to happen a car with four socs attacked ponyboy which then turned into a full out gang…
- 741 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays