In “The Outsiders” Ponyboy Curtis is the narrator, and a lead character in the story as the story is told from his perspective and the events that surround him and his two brothers Sodapop Curtis and Darrel "Darry" Curtis. Darrel is the eldest of the other two brothers, and he takes care of them since the death of their parents in a car crash. The story revolves around an area, which is divided by social classes, and the three boys have a gang called the "greasers" who live on the East end which is a poor neighborhood while the “socs” live in the west end of the neighborhood and they seem to be doing well socially and economically. Throughout the book, the most evident theme, which is presented by the author, is the state of juvenile delinquency which is seen to have no boundaries because the boys from different social standings have a gang which they use to terrorize each other.
The onset of “The Outsiders” begins with Ponyboy Curtis as he is jumped by the rival gang “socs” as he leaves the movie theater and his friends from the “greasers” gang rescue him. This sets the trend of how the two gangs continue to fight for dominance and control of their neighborhood. In the next phase when they meet the next day, Ponyboy Curtis shows his composed nature and his social side, which sets him apart from his other gang members. The boys find girls who come from the “soc” neighborhood, and it becomes the first time that the two group of people have a decent conversation. Despite the difference in social classes, Ponyboy Curtis is able to display that there is no much difference between the two groups of children except the economic and social status which set them apart. However, the hardened Dally and the quiet Johnny who are also fellow members in the “greasers” gang show how the young gang members accost each other on many tasks including leisure activities. Dally’s character from this incidence onwards is portrayed as a gang member who has bad behavior because he tries to harass Cherry Valance who is one of the “soc girls.” Marcia who is the other girl who is accompanied by Cherry keeps her distance, and the possibility of interacting with the other boys seems like a hard thing for her (Hinton, 15). Ponyboy, on the other hand, starts a conversation with Cherry and they both find that they have the same interests, which are the appreciation of sunsets.
The connection that Ponyboy makes with Cherry Valance shows that social differences set most of the children apart but when they have the opportunity to express themselves in a civil manner their differences are not set very far apart. Issues of bad behavior amongst teenagers do not have any social class because both Cherry and Marcia claimed that their boyfriends had left them alone after the movie. When Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson come to take their girlfriends way from Ponyboy, Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews, and Johnny, Ponyboy narrates how Bob had beat up Johnny badly a few months back (Hinton, 32). This confrontation would later continue to be a festering grudge because Johnny seems to have taken the beating and he kept the matter at heart with the possibility of revenging. Therefore, when a taut occurs Cherry prevents a brawl by agreeing to go with their boyfriends rather than seeing a fight ensue due to unnecessary reasons. Later Johny and Ponyboy go to their favorite vacant lot, and they fall asleep, but when Ponyboy arrives home, late Darry scolds and hits him. This is the first incidence where there is an incidence of sibling fight amongst the three brothers, and the main aim seems to be coming from Darry who has now taken the role of the guardian, as the boys no longer have parents. So the issue of Ponyboy staying up late and he was possibly engaged in gang activity seems to anger his elder brother. Ponyboy notes that the death of his parents had made Darry cold due to the recent aggressive behavior that he portrays.
Ponyboy and Johnny go for a leisure walk in the park, and they are jumped by Bob who is in the company of four “socs,” and they begin to taunt each other where Ponyboy spits at them. This action prompts Bob to star drowning Ponyboy into a fountain, and when Johnny senses that Bob may kill him, he goes ahead and stabs Bob. This incidence forces the other “socs” to run away and due to the terror that the stabbing of Bob has created for Ponyboy and Johnny then run to Dally who assists them by giving them money and a gun. However, he tells them to go to Windrixville where there is an abandoned church, and they can stay there until things cool down. The two boys begin their life as run-away gang members who have committed a crime, and they know the extent of this action because they begin by disguising themselves so that they do not become easily identifiable in case the police are searching for them. Ponyboy continues to show his resilience amidst such a tragic situation as he reads “Gone with the Wind” and later when he gets a chance to see a lovely sunset he narrates the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost (Hinton, 50). These actions show the extent that Ponyboy goes to have a calm attitude, which is supposed to sooth Johnny who was still terrified from stabbing and killing Bob. Dally continues to show his friendship to the boys by visiting them and by buying hem burgers as he gives hem updates on what was happening at the east end. Gang wars had spurned out of control, and the rivalry had been heightened until a truce would be found when the gangs fought on an all-out war.
Johnny had vowed to turn himself in rather than continue to hide and to stop Ponyboy from feeling guilty or the need to stay with him while he ought to be continuing with school and have the possibility of changing his life. However, when they are about to leave they find that the church, which they had been staying in, had caught fire and some local children were trapped inside. Despite their condition the “greasers” result to help the children to escape from the fire but in turn, they end up being injured especially Johnny who had a critical back injury. Ponyboy and Johnny were considered as heroes by the local newspapers but Johnny had been severely injured, and he had to spend time at the hospital while the authorities wanted to arrest him for the murder of Bob. Through the subsequent actions that were occurring in East end and West end as the clash of “soc” and “greasers,” gang Cherry was giving the update of how the fight would be (Hinton, 63). Ponyboy and Two-Bit are also approached by a “soc” gang member known as Randy, and he was Bob's best friend, but he considered the gang war to be totally irrelevant and uncalled for because it was causing so much hatred in the neighborhood. The final rumble which was anticipated by both sets of gangs was meant to end the feud, but randy lacked the confidence of the fight ever ending because the grudge would still be ongoing when the two gang members met anywhere in the community.
Sodapop and Darry had visited Ponyboy at the hospital when he had been rendered unconscious by the fire, and they had been gravely devastated by the events that had occurred since the time that they had run away. Darry expresses himself and regrets hitting Ponyboy, and he offered the explanation that he had done those things because he cared for him. This shows the extent that Darry had been forced to mature after the death of their parents. Being orphaned had made him to ensure that he took full responsibility for his two younger brothers because he felt that they would be sucked up into the criminal gang activities. Through his insight, he tells Ponyboy that he has seen his potential of succeeding and becoming a better person if he could continue with his studies (Hinton, 44). Therefore, in both of their understanding, the two brothers agree to bury the hatchet where Ponyboy would go back to their home and continue his studies while he would limit his juvenile activities. Through these actions, which have been portrayed by Dallas "Dally" Winston and Darrel "Darry" Curtis on their sense of responsibility and looking out after the younger members of the “greasers” gang, they prove that there is some form of responsibility. If the juveniles can be accorded resources or job opportunities, then they can be able to ensure that they take care of themselves and other young boys who rely on them for guidance.
The author wants to portray how issues of peer pressure have a lot of control on teenagers when they are growing up because all the actions which they engage in have an element of being influenced by others. From the moment that the final rumble is arranged, the boys from both regions continue to gather themselves so they can engage with each other. Except for Randy who does not seem to support the idea, all the other boys from “greasers” and “socs” all plan to go ahead to fight until a winner is found (Hinton, 89). The differences or the issues, which were making the two gangs fight amongst each other, were not vividly explained except that the two gangs engaged each other because of their economic and social differences. However, after the death of Bob who was Johnny who was a “greaser” the war took a new turn, and that was the new frontier of the rivalry killed a “soc” and him. This kind of delinquency shows that the impact of peer pressure is immense amongst different children irrespective of their social backgrounds. The talk between Cherry and Ponyboy shows that the two sets of teenagers had begun to develop hate because of Bob’s death. Cherry claims that even though Johnny was considered a hero, she was not going to visit him at the hospital. This makes Ponyboy term her as a traitor because she had been giving information to the “socs” who were their rivals, but they resolve those differences, and they part as friends.
Johnny’s sickness and his admittance to the hospital do not put an end to the fierce rivalry that had been brewing between the “greasers” and “socs” because Dally escapes from the hospital and he goes to fight in the final rumble. The “greaser” wins the ensuing fight that occurs, but the “socs’ just agree to let the matters settle before they reorganize themselves. Therefore, the final rumble as it was envisioned by both gangs did not end in a truce even though one group of the gangs won. After the fight and the temporary relief that the “greasers” enjoyed is dampened by Johnny’s death who succumbs to the fire injuries. Through his death, Dally begins to rant, and he acts like a maniac because he had lost a best friend. This is despite Dally being described as the most experienced gang member because he had spent three years of his life on the streets of New York City (Hinton, 54). Therefore, the emotions, which compel him to act like that, are proof that there is a psychological impact that the death had caused in his lie and he knew that death was inevitable despite his macho stunts. The death makes him act irrationally when he robs a store, and police upon which he draws an unloaded pistol to them chase him. The police were assuming that the pistol would have been loaded fire towards him and they kill him before the “greasers” gang where Ponyboy faints due to the shock.
Ponyboy is admitted to the hospital because he had suffered a concussion after he hit the concrete from fainting and this is the time that the police get a chance to arrest him due to his connection with Bob’s murder. Through an elaborate procedure, which involves the submitting of evidence and testimony, Ponyboy is found not guilty of the murder or his connection to the actions leading to Bob’s death. However, the judge wanted to have him taken to a juvenile detention center, but instead, Ponyboy is sent back to live with his brothers Sodapop and Darry Curtis. This gives Ponyboy a chance to live his life as a regular teenager though he had faced a lot of trials and mishaps due to the events that had directly affected him. However, Ponyboy begins to suffer from the trauma of all those events despite having less involvement with gang-related activities. Darry confronts Ponyboy because his education begins to suffer and his grades continue to drop which prompts them to have a fight that upsets Sodapop. Sodapop who is the youngest of the three boys seems affected by those actions, he runs out of the house, and he goes to the vacant lot where Darry and Ponyboy later find him. Sodapop talked to his brothers that their continuous fighting had been affecting him and since they had agreed to reconcile it was the time that they were supposed to consider living together harmoniously.
Ponyboy begins to take school seriously, and Mr. Syme who was his English teacher assures him that he may assist him to pass his grades if he came up with a good theme for an English essay that he had given the class to work on. Ponyboy decides to read “Gone with the Wind” which is a copy of the book that Johnny had given him before dying and he finds an encouraging note that had been addressed to him (Hinton, 112). After reading the note, Johnny had described the incidence that he had saved the children from the fire at the abandoned shop as a moment, which had made him proud even though he had suffered. Respectively, he had encouraged Ponyboy to continue improving on his academic life and to "stay gold" which means that he was not supposed to be affected by the issues that were happening around him. This gives him the idea on which he was going to base his essay.
Throughout this book, Hinton works to display the way that juvenile delinquency in neighborhoods can be caused by a lot of issues which range from a poor upbringing and the irresponsibility of communities in general. Through the death of their parents, the Curtis brothers seem to suffer because they have to rely on their older brother to be their guardian in the midst of gang-related activities. Because Darry is still a young person, the responsibilities seem to weigh down on him a lot because he sometimes acts irrationally as he is not able to make grown-up decisions. However, one of the things that stand out from him is his ability to ensure that his younger brothers are taken care of, and Ponyboy is able to prioritize his educational matters, which are of more importance than being engaged in gang activities. Therefore, when Ponyboy arrives at home late, he feels that it is his duty to determine the time that he has to get home and at a reasonable hour. Later when Ponyboy escapes from home, Darry’s confession is a clear indication that he worries about his brother’s well-being and that is the reason that he acts the way he does (Hinton, 71). The author made Darry appear to be more responsible than most of the other grown-ups in the East and West End because they had been unable to control the gangs from engaging with each other. “The Outsiders” is a clear indication on the failings of a society which lets young teenagers engage in delinquent behaviors which cannot be reigned or controlled to the point of causing harm and even death amongst their peers. Despite the display of the violent aspects that revolve around the various characters, the main agenda remains to prove that teenagers cannot be left on their own because they may end up creating havoc and destruction. Crime is evident because Dally ends up being gunned down by the police after robbing a store. Hinton was able to harness and integrate all those issues through Ponyboy’s description of the events that occurred throughout the book.
Works Cited
Hinton, S. E. (2016). The Outsiders. Penguin.
