The Outsider

The Outsiders by S. E Hinton, the author argues that heroism defines a person by their actions not by their background, history, or looks. The events at the church, the incidents that happened before the church and the aftermath all show the changes that happened over time that would eventually negate Ponyboys history and background and regard him as a hero.

There are different points of heroism in the story and different forms of eroism in the story but for now we are going to look at the most important three, Cherry acting as a spy, Ponyboy rescuing the kids and what he was defined by before he was a hero. Ponyboy is very much defined as a hero after the events that happened at the church in which he rescued all those kids from death by grabbing them out of the burning church. He did out of courage and kindness and was praised as a hero for it. “Mrs. O’briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven. Or are you Just professional heroes or something? Sent from heaven? Had he gotten a good look at Dallas? “No were greasers,” I said. I was too worried and scared to appreciate the fact that he was trying to be funny. mfou’re what? ” “Greasers you know like hoods, ID’s. Johnny is wanted for murder, and Dallas has a record with the fuzz a mile long. “. The quote present here relates to the theme and explains the ambulance driver overlooking his past and still appreciating him as a hero.

The author is putting emphasis on the heroism in the quote and that no matter what background heroes come from, they are looked upon for their actions and the same applied to Ponyboy and what he did for those kids. The reason that he was looked upon as a hero was because of his actions, but what was he defined as before the church? He was a greaser, Just your average everyday greaser who was looked upon as a hood, a thief, and a Juvenile delinquent to society. “It was my pride. It was long and silky, Just like sodas only a little bit redder.

Our hair was tuff – we didn’t have to use much grease on it. Our hair labeled us greasers too – it was our trademark. The one thing we were proud of. Maybe we couldn’t corsairs or madras shirts, but we could have hair. ” Ponyboys pride was his hair and that’s what he considered himself to be defined by. It was a painful change for him to make when he had to cut it off. When Johnny told ponyboy that he is going to cut their hair ponyboy replied by stating the previous quote. Ponyboy could have been defined as a hero before the events at the church in a different way and from a different perspective.

He could be a hero in Johnny’s eyes or sticking with him ever since he killed the Socs Bob to him lying in his death bed. He is a hero for standing by his friends through the good and the bad. Although Ponyboy is the most notable hero in the story there are others who did other things such as Cherry acting as a spy for the Greases and giving them info. In the end, all of the different stories of heroism in the story all relate back to the main theme heroism is defined by your actions not by your background, history, or looks.

Area of Study Essay – The Outsiders Essay Teenagers are shown in a variety of texts to be, violent, disrespectful, disruptive and corrupt. S. E. Hinton’s novel ‘The Outsiders’ reveal teenagers to be juvenile delinquents who are violent and whose only interest is remaining faithful to their gang and its members. The theme of the novel ‘The Outsiders’ as the main characters are explained to be represented as juvenile delinquents who belong to a violent neighbourhood and lawless gangs. The gangs that fight the most are the ‘Greasers’ and the ‘Socs’.

The ‘Greasers’ are tough and as, they steal from the shops, rob cars, jump people, sneak into drive in movies and don’t do well in school. The Greasers wear- long oily hair and scruffy clothes. The Socs are tough, cold- blood and mean trouble-makers. The Soc’s do well in school; the Soc’s wear- short hairs, nice clothes, and have expensive cars. “How’d you like that haircut to begin just below the neck…? ” (Dialogue). This reveals that the Socs are attacking Ponyboy and are trying to cut his hair. “What kind of world is it where all I have to be proud of is a reputation for being a hood, and greasy hair? ” (Rhetorical Question).

Ponyboy is asking himself that what world he would have to live in to put up with his reputation and having greasy hair. “You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you… ” (Dialogue). Dally is telling Ponyboy that if your get tough like me you won’t have to put up with what you’re going through. The ‘Greasers’ and the ‘Socs’ are juvenile delinquents who fight a lot and this is how teenagers are represented in the novel. Teenagers in the novel ‘The Outsiders’ represented as violent, disrespectful and rebellious. The characterisation of Dallas Winston supports this argument.

Dally is described through Ponyboy’s first person narration, ‘he lied, cheated, rode in rodeos, he got drunk, jumped small kids – he did everything’. This description of Dally indicates his disrespect for the law and society. Ponyboy uses figurative language to characterise Dally, ‘he had an elfish face, with high cheekbones … small sharp animal teeth and ears like a lynx’. This simile indicates Dally’s tough physical appearance and also his reaction to be animalistic in his behaviour. First person narration indicates Dally’s rebellious past, ‘Dally had been arrested at the age of en’ and ‘blew off steam in gang fights’. It is through the characterisation of Dally and Ponyboy’s first person narration, the novel depicts teenagers as rebellious, violent and disrespectful. Dally behaviour and disrespect for women is exposed in the incident at the drive-ins involving Cherry and Marcia. Dally snuck in to drive-ins because ‘Dally hated to do thing the legal way’. Dally spoke really loudly using offensive language so that the girls could hear, ‘just to embarrass the girls’. Dally continued to disrespect the young women by putting his feet on the back of their seats.

Dally shows no respect for women or the law in this incident and further emphasises the representation of teenagers in ‘The Outsiders’ as arrogant, disrespectful and immature. In the related text, Simple Plan’s ‘Welcome to my Life’ reveals teenagers to be upset, depressed and overwhelmed. Simple Plans ‘Welcome to my life’ says about teenagers that are being bullied all the time and they’re just locking them self’s in there room because of this reason. For example – “To be left out in the dark, To be kicked when you’re down, To feel like you’ve been pushed around, To be on the edge of breaking down, And no one’s there to save you”.

This quote of this song is telling us that some teenagers are being put down, being bullied, and don’t want to do what they are going to do because the people that bully them might be at that place and embarrass them there. Your taunted for being different and all you want to do is lock yourself away and scream and rage,’ “To be hurt, to feel lost, to be left out in the dark, to be kicked when your down’ even after all the disappointment and days people never understand and they still be-little you.

In the end you neither care nor believe that you want to live. Before your life is over. It is through these texts that teenagers are shown to be burden on society. It is trough S. E. Hintons ‘The Outsiders’ and the Simple Plans ‘Welcome to my Life’ that teenager are depicted as rebellious and disrespectful. This representation of teenager’s shapes audience understands of teenagers in a negative way as they reveal all of the terrible aspects of being a teenager.