The Greasers And S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

The Pressures Our Environment Holds Every person’s life revolves around the pursuit of safety and belonging; the greasers and Socs were no exceptions. Environmental circumstances took a colossal toll on their lives. The social, emotional, and economic forces created a threat to their safety, which influenced their actions as they tried to overcome that threat. As Maslow Abrahams described in his hierarchy of needs (“Abraham”), feeling safe and loved are major components to fulfillment of happiness. In order to feel as though you belong, you must first feel safe. When one lives in an environment where they feel vulnerable (either emotionally or physically), their actions will reflect their feeling of vulnerability. Both the greasers’ and the Socs’ lives were the affected by peer pressure. This pressure made them feel unsafe: as though their friends may turn against them at any moment if they did not fit their group’s mold. So each member created a socially accepted identity for themselves in order to fit into the puzzle their group had created. Even if hiding behind a fake version of themselves made them feel restricted, in their minds, it was better than not belonging at all. When Cherry finally broke free of the …show more content…
While S.E Hinton only interpreted the effects it had on her characters, her ideas can also be applied to life. While some people may seem to be in complete control of their situation, it is very likely that they truly feel vulnerable and powerless. “‘I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-Side Socs. I’ll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise . . . . Things are rough all over.’” (Hinton 34-35). Much like Ponyboy’s perspective of the Socs, you never know the struggles another faces who holds a concealing visage. Even the people who seem to hold all of the power are affected by their