Bruce Weber And The Outsiders

The short story “Through the Tunnel” Doris Lessing, the non-fiction story, “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Rider” Bruce Weber, and the novel, “The Outsiders” S.E. Hinton, all portray that coming of age is when a person goes through a changing experience which allows them to grow and become their own heroes.
Bruce Weber’s non-fiction story “The Loneliness of a Long Distance Rider” portrays that loneliness is the key to coming of age and healing after going through a traumatic experience. The story begins by Weber explaining his feelings of sadness and sorrow at that very moment. “Maybe loneliness? Anxiety? Whatever it is, I’ve been feeling a little sulky the last few days… I’m battling that, more than headwinds and hills… I lost a friend …show more content…
Hinton’s novel, “The Outsiders” Hinton shows people that a person truly comes of age when they go through something unforgettable. The novel starts out by Hinton giving a brief description of all the characters and then giving background. Hinton shows that two rivaling groups of teens fight for territory and leadership but one day things are taken to far. Johnny and Ponyboy are being beat up by the Socs and Ponyboy passes out.“I’m drowning, … they’ve gone too far… A red haze filled my mind and I slowly relaxed. The next thing I knew I was lying on the pavement, coughing water and gasping. I lay there weakly, then I saw Johnny… He was a strange greenish-white, and his eyes were huger than I’d ever seen them. I killed him… I killed that boy.” (Page 56) Once Ponyboy wakes up he sees Johnny who looks greenish-white and sick and Johnny says he killed a man. The boys are then forced to run and hid to remain out of jail. While Ponyboy and Johnny are hiding on the run they stay in an abandoned church which they accidently set on fire by smoking a cigarette. “Then we all froze. Faintly, just faintly you could hear someone yelling, coming from inside the church… I’ll get them, don’t worry! I started at a dead run for the church, and the man caught my arm… I jerked loose and ran on. All I could think was: We started this fire. We started it. We started it! I looked around, startled. I hadn’t realized Johnny been right behind me all the way.” (page 92) Hinton shows that the boys accidently set the fire and immediately bolt for the doors of the church risking their own lives to help the children. After the fire is put out and all the children are safe Johnny and Ponyboy are in the hospital, Ponyboy has minor injures but Johnny is not so lucky and breaks his back. The boys are forced to grow up and live on their own but when they get home they are announced heroes by the whole city. “They’re still writing editorials about you in the paper. For being a hero and saving