The Outsiders Essay Response
The Outsiders: Essay Response
Demonstrate how the major events that take place in The Outsiders affect the values and attitudes of 3 main characters.
The 1967 novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is about the social outcasts; the Greasers and their rivalry against the high class Socs. In the beginning of the book the characters values and attitudes are revealed to the reader through the point of view of Ponyboy. As the book progresses and the lives of the characters take a turn for the worse there is a significant impact on the characters resulting in an alteration of their values and attitudes. Ponyboy, Dally and Johnny experience these changes due to the death of Bob the Soc and the chain of events that follow.
Ponyboy is the protagonist who narrates the novel, he often refers to himself as different from the other Greasers in the way he values education, and how he shows both academic interest and ability. The book mentions Ponyboy being an A grade student, unlike the other Greasers who dropped out of school early and worked. This is shown when Ponyboy says, “my second-oldest brother, Soda… never cracks a book at all, and my oldest brother, Darrel… works too long and hard to be interested in a story or drawing a picture, so I’m not like them.” (p. 1-2). As the book develops and major events like Johnny’s death take place this attitude towards education weakens and Pony no longer values nor cares for it. This can be seen when pony tells the readers, “I was lousing up on school-work… I used to make A’s in English… Now I was lucky to get a D on a composition.” (p.204). This shows just how much the main events, especially the death of Johnny have impacted on Pony and his value for education sending him from A’s to D’s.
At the beginning of the book it can be seen that Pony doesn’t value violence like the other Greaser boys, but as he witnesses the death of Johnny and Dally and is put through many difficult situations that changes. A clear way to see this is when
Demonstrate how the major events that take place in The Outsiders affect the values and attitudes of 3 main characters.
The 1967 novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is about the social outcasts; the Greasers and their rivalry against the high class Socs. In the beginning of the book the characters values and attitudes are revealed to the reader through the point of view of Ponyboy. As the book progresses and the lives of the characters take a turn for the worse there is a significant impact on the characters resulting in an alteration of their values and attitudes. Ponyboy, Dally and Johnny experience these changes due to the death of Bob the Soc and the chain of events that follow.
Ponyboy is the protagonist who narrates the novel, he often refers to himself as different from the other Greasers in the way he values education, and how he shows both academic interest and ability. The book mentions Ponyboy being an A grade student, unlike the other Greasers who dropped out of school early and worked. This is shown when Ponyboy says, “my second-oldest brother, Soda… never cracks a book at all, and my oldest brother, Darrel… works too long and hard to be interested in a story or drawing a picture, so I’m not like them.” (p. 1-2). As the book develops and major events like Johnny’s death take place this attitude towards education weakens and Pony no longer values nor cares for it. This can be seen when pony tells the readers, “I was lousing up on school-work… I used to make A’s in English… Now I was lucky to get a D on a composition.” (p.204). This shows just how much the main events, especially the death of Johnny have impacted on Pony and his value for education sending him from A’s to D’s.
At the beginning of the book it can be seen that Pony doesn’t value violence like the other Greaser boys, but as he witnesses the death of Johnny and Dally and is put through many difficult situations that changes. A clear way to see this is when