Social Groups In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

Imagine being viewed as a criminal because of your stereotype. Within S.E Hinton’s The Outsiders, two social groups, the Socs and the greasers, engage in conflict due to their differences. The protagonist, Ponyboy, learns that things are rough all over, but along the way loses two valuable friends.Throughout the story, both groups are revealed to have problems of their own, but which group suffers the most?Although both groups face complications in life, I believe the greasers struggle more than the Socs. First, greasers must face the hardships of poverty. “We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class.” (Hinton, 3) This proves that greasers struggle more since they are forced to face the effects of poverty, such as lack of money. While the greasers are living in poverty, the Socs are living in prosperous conditions. “...but it bothered me because we live in kind of a lousy neighborhood and our house isn’t real great.”(Hinton, 103) This further builds on the idea that greasers suffer more since they live in run-down homes, while Socs live in proper homes. This causes society to view all greasers as hoods due to their environment. Greasers must endure the everyday struggles of poverty, while Socs are taking wealth for granted. …show more content…
“You’ll still be where you were before - at the bottom.”(Hinton, 117 ) This gives a basis of how greasers receive prejudice since they are seen as the scum of society. Greasers will always be suspected of any crimes, even if they had no involvement whatsoever. “You didn’t see a kid Grease and a Soc cheerleader together.” (Hinton, 30) This further develops the idea of false prejudice since all greasers are seen as hoods, no matter the circumstances. As a result, greasers are judged by the titles branded to them by society. Greasers must face false prejudice due to stereotypes created by