Hinton brings us to a family of young Greasers who live together in a house which was left by their parents who died in a car crash. When we first meet these Greasers, we see boys of different personalities and a family that is passionate about each other. Darry is the eldest, and he takes the responsibility of a guardian for the other two brothers. He is strict and very responsible like any other young parent could be. Sodapop is a charismatic, sensitive and a good looking person. Ponyboy is academically smart and nervous younger brother. Pony and Darry, just like any other family have clashed.
The Curtis brothers have different and similar personalities and the main point to make the comparison between them is to look at how they take, and they perceive situations in their current setting. Each one of them has a specific way of approaching it giving a challenge to the other two models. Darry is the eldest of the three brothers, being the eldest and being orphans he is driven and motivated to be the guardian who perceives life from an unexpected point of view. He looks at the modern world full of responsibilities. "Darry's hard and firm and rarely grins at all.” (Ch 2) .additionally, Darry has been driven by the severe conditions of life, and he decides to behave soberly to face reality “He doesn't understand anything that is not plain hard fact. But he uses his head.” (Ch 2)
In contrast as Darry looks at life full of responsibilities, on the other hand, it is a transformative ability for Ponyboy. He explores what life can offer to him. Through his exploration, he is it is clear that Ponyboy loves poetry and drawing pictures “interested in a story or drawing pictures” (ch 1). Ponyboy thinks that it will be a wise idea for his eldest brother, Darry to be transformed and avoid being too responsible through this we see his resentment with his elder brother. Ponyboy and Darry show a lot of difference in their perception of what the world can offer them. This creates conflict between the brothers.
Finally, Sodapop is different as compared to the two brothers full of conflicts. His main wish is to put an end to the conflict between the two brothers. He said, “If we don’t have each other, we do not have anything.” Darry does not see any need to negotiate and make peace with pony because he knows that life does not provide an opportunity for negotiation while pony thinks that transformation needs to be something fundamental to any human being. Sodapop, on the other hand, tries to be intermediary as he can, and his relationship with his brothers does not change so much. Additionally, Soda does not love books at all as compared to his brothers. “Second oldest brother does not crack books at all” (ch 1)
In conclusion, the relationship between the three brothers changes after some time. They recognized they love each other. This is shown when Sodapop said, “If we don’t have each other, we do not have anything.” They realize they needed each other; they become closer to each other. They realize that there is no value in their unfair world without their support for each other. This is seen when Darry, comforts his brother, pony in hospital. Additionally, pony said “I reckon we all just wanted to stay together. Even though they went through tough moments in life. The love they had for each other becomes love far from this world.
Work cited
Tribunella, Eric L. "Institutionalizing The Outsiders: YA Literature, Social Class, and the American Faith in Education." Children's Literature in Education
38.2 (2007): 87-101.
SCHULMAN, FROM IRVING. "Gangs in the 1960s: SE Hinton's The Outsiders (1967)." Youth Gangs in Literature (2004): 115.
