Conflicts in society are often caused by the lack of understanding of the contrasting forces and issues that drive and shape people. This is particularly true between people belonging to different social strata, where each is unable to wear the shoes of the other, and incapable of understanding the other’s fears and aspirations. This is illustrated in The Outsiders by S.E Hinton which depicts a rivalry of a group of higher class citizens named the Socs and a group of lower classmen named the Greasers.
Groups from the lower social classes have many concerns and fears. Examples include financial instability - how are they going to pay for shoes, and food, long working hours for little pay, parental abuse- parents who have fallen into depression, …show more content…
The challenge is for each group to recognize the predicaments of the other, because those difficulties and challenges can be very different from one's own. To put it another way, each of the social classes is incapable of relating and knowing how it feels to be in another classes’ shoes. As a result, they completely brush off the issue, and fail to acknowledge it. An example of this is when the Greasers feel that all of the Socs ‘have it made’ and are simply the ‘rich kids’. Ponyboy makes a truly interesting remark when he says “Even if they have their own troubles, I really couldn't see what Socs would have to sweat about- good grades, good cars, good girls, Madras and Mustangs and Corvairs-man,I thought, if I had worries like that I would consider myself pretty lucky”. Ponyboy is only taking into consideration the privileges of being a part of the upper class and, assuming that the Socs have no problems because he cannot directly relate to them. Socs also frequently misperceive Greasers. “ ‘You know what a greaser is??’ Bob asked ‘White trash with long hair’ “. This shows how Bob is also only looking at the Greasers from an outside perspective. He isn't recognizing that Greasers do not have an easy life, rather judging them on their social status and their lack of money. Both of these quotes demonstrate that all of us can be blind to the issues and problems faced by others, if we cannot relate to them. However, it doesn't make those problems
Groups from the lower social classes have many concerns and fears. Examples include financial instability - how are they going to pay for shoes, and food, long working hours for little pay, parental abuse- parents who have fallen into depression, …show more content…
The challenge is for each group to recognize the predicaments of the other, because those difficulties and challenges can be very different from one's own. To put it another way, each of the social classes is incapable of relating and knowing how it feels to be in another classes’ shoes. As a result, they completely brush off the issue, and fail to acknowledge it. An example of this is when the Greasers feel that all of the Socs ‘have it made’ and are simply the ‘rich kids’. Ponyboy makes a truly interesting remark when he says “Even if they have their own troubles, I really couldn't see what Socs would have to sweat about- good grades, good cars, good girls, Madras and Mustangs and Corvairs-man,I thought, if I had worries like that I would consider myself pretty lucky”. Ponyboy is only taking into consideration the privileges of being a part of the upper class and, assuming that the Socs have no problems because he cannot directly relate to them. Socs also frequently misperceive Greasers. “ ‘You know what a greaser is??’ Bob asked ‘White trash with long hair’ “. This shows how Bob is also only looking at the Greasers from an outside perspective. He isn't recognizing that Greasers do not have an easy life, rather judging them on their social status and their lack of money. Both of these quotes demonstrate that all of us can be blind to the issues and problems faced by others, if we cannot relate to them. However, it doesn't make those problems