The Outsiders Stereotypes

According to the Journal of the Adolescent, there are over 1 million children involved in gang activity in the USA. In The Outsiders, written by S. E. Hinton, the revolves around the rivalry between two gangs, the Greasers and the Socs. The members of the Greasers are comprised of members of a lower socioeconomic status than the Socs. They don’t have nearly as much money as the Socs but they manage to get by. Conversely, the Socs are comprised of the more fortunate class. They have expensive cars, houses, and clothing. This novel includes many themes, most notably the themes of society’s beliefs and violence.
To elaborate, society tends to stereotype the Greasers with a negative stigma. It is evident that society establishes stereotypes on groups of people that aren’t true. For instance, when Ponyboy was talking to Cherry, she explains that if she doesn’t say “hi” to Ponyboy in the hallways it's nothing personal. Clearly, society has placed negative stigma on the Greasers and this mindset has been forced upon Cherry. She doesn’t want to say “hi” to any Greaser in the hallway because if she does society will vilify her and ruin her reputation. In addition, when Ponyboy is talking to Randy about saving the kids in the church, Randy says “I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. I would have never believed a Greaser could pull anything like that.” (115). The fact that Randy is surprised, clearly shows …show more content…
These themes are exhibited throughout the novel. These themes help in everyday life as well. Make sure to remember that violence isn’t always necessary. Even if violence appears to be the solution to a certain situation it is best to abstain, since generally nothing good comes out of violence. Be sure to think about Society forcing ideas on to people that might not even be aware that they have ideas forced upon them. Try think as one and not become society’s