ThemesEssay Preview: ThemesReport this essayThe Outsiders is a theme in itself. Looking at life as an outsider and feeling as though one is being treated as an outsider is a matter of perspective or point of view. Someone who always feels like an outsider may conclude that life is unfair.
Adolescence is a time when teenagers may consider themselves to be adults, but in reality teens are still under the control of others. Parents, teachers, and other authority figures are always telling them how to live their lives. This loss of control inevitably leads to the feeling that life isnt fair. For example, Ponyboy knows that he is not safe walking the streets in his own neighborhood. He could be attacked solely because of the way he is dressed; he feels like an outsider in his own town. His feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability lead him to conclude that life is not fair.
Ponyboy sees injustice on a daily basis. His parents are dead, Darry is forced to work two jobs to support the brothers, Soda has dropped out of school, and the greasers are looked upon as “white trash.” He explains that the gang warfare is actually warfare between the economic classes. Because he is from the poor, East Side of town, his place in life is unfairly predetermined.
The evolution of the family relationships is a recurrent theme in the novel. Family relationships are strained during the teen years, but in the Curtis family, the right to stay together as a family is a constant struggle. Since the death of their parents, Darry has assumed the responsibility of guardianship for Pony and Soda, and under that pressure he has aged beyond his years. He no longer views the two boys as siblings, but rather as a responsibility. Darry recognizes Ponyboys potential and has high expectations for him. Ponyboy complains that Darry is a stricter disciplinarian than his father, but by the end of the book he understands Darrys role: “Darry is a good guardian; he makes me study and knows where I am and who Im with all the time. . . . My father didnt yell at me as much as he does.”
Another point of contention is the relationship in the “Family” group. For example, many “kids” will tell you that Darry, in his mind, is the best parent. They even argue that, although he knows his own self well, he does not “play fair”. They also argue that he doesn’t have the strength to take care of his own needs and care for his family because other children who don’t have that power see Darry as their “boyfriend”.
While I’ve never done anything wrong, Darry does know how to manage a difficult situation because he is a very good parent. His behavior is not very controlling, there’s even a little bit of love there.
In other family topics, Darry makes a lot of comments, which I personally like as being the least he can. But I found myself thinking, “why do it when he is a good parent too? Can’t these other kids have more control? And why does a little bit of blame fall on him?”
In those areas, I’ve always considered him a good parent who does the best thing for me, and a poor parent. But in the Curtis family, his attitude is very different. The parents complain too much of being too strict with Darry, but when he tries to change that, he doesn’t succeed.„
I think that’s what makes the Curtis Family so much different.
Darry has a high level of empathy and compassion. Darry is very hard-hearted, and very nice to other kids, and he does not really take kindly to anything even once he’s at the center of all of this.
Darry also has a very calm character, even being at his most nervous. He was always at ease at school when he was getting ready, when he had the chance and even when he was in situations where he had to take all risks. And though he was a little bit cockier when he was a kid, he didn’t show much of this attitude in school anymore.
Even today, Darry is at home at all times, and this type of care and care takes up some of his time, though he will still be very busy
One of the reasons I thought Darry was so good at babysitting was because he had to do it very fast. He has more and more responsibility than most of the other “kids”. He is able to take care of many of us now as well, yet he can still be quite at home.
My friend says, “‘The first thing I heard about Darry was he was awesome on his own’, and I think people have become accustomed to that from seeing other children in similar situations.’
, so he’s been so good to me.
He’s just doing what he loves to do and he hasn’t lost his ability to do so much as he has been to me. He has an extraordinary personality.
I have always wanted more than ever.”
While sometimes
Another point of contention is the relationship in the “Family” group. For example, many “kids” will tell you that Darry, in his mind, is the best parent. They even argue that, although he knows his own self well, he does not “play fair”. They also argue that he doesn’t have the strength to take care of his own needs and care for his family because other children who don’t have that power see Darry as their “boyfriend”.
While I’ve never done anything wrong, Darry does know how to manage a difficult situation because he is a very good parent. His behavior is not very controlling, there’s even a little bit of love there.
In other family topics, Darry makes a lot of comments, which I personally like as being the least he can. But I found myself thinking, “why do it when he is a good parent too? Can’t these other kids have more control? And why does a little bit of blame fall on him?”
In those areas, I’ve always considered him a good parent who does the best thing for me, and a poor parent. But in the Curtis family, his attitude is very different. The parents complain too much of being too strict with Darry, but when he tries to change that, he doesn’t succeed.„
I think that’s what makes the Curtis Family so much different.
Darry has a high level of empathy and compassion. Darry is very hard-hearted, and very nice to other kids, and he does not really take kindly to anything even once he’s at the center of all of this.
Darry also has a very calm character, even being at his most nervous. He was always at ease at school when he was getting ready, when he had the chance and even when he was in situations where he had to take all risks. And though he was a little bit cockier when he was a kid, he didn’t show much of this attitude in school anymore.
Even today, Darry is at home at all times, and this type of care and care takes up some of his time, though he will still be very busy
One of the reasons I thought Darry was so good at babysitting was because he had to do it very fast. He has more and more responsibility than most of the other “kids”. He is able to take care of many of us now as well, yet he can still be quite at home.
My friend says, “‘The first thing I heard about Darry was he was awesome on his own’, and I think people have become accustomed to that from seeing other children in similar situations.’
, so he’s been so good to me.
He’s just doing what he loves to do and he hasn’t lost his ability to do so much as he has been to me. He has an extraordinary personality.
I have always wanted more than ever.”
While sometimes
Another point of contention is the relationship in the “Family” group. For example, many “kids” will tell you that Darry, in his mind, is the best parent. They even argue that, although he knows his own self well, he does not “play fair”. They also argue that he doesn’t have the strength to take care of his own needs and care for his family because other children who don’t have that power see Darry as their “boyfriend”.
While I’ve never done anything wrong, Darry does know how to manage a difficult situation because he is a very good parent. His behavior is not very controlling, there’s even a little bit of love there.
In other family topics, Darry makes a lot of comments, which I personally like as being the least he can. But I found myself thinking, “why do it when he is a good parent too? Can’t these other kids have more control? And why does a little bit of blame fall on him?”
In those areas, I’ve always considered him a good parent who does the best thing for me, and a poor parent. But in the Curtis family, his attitude is very different. The parents complain too much of being too strict with Darry, but when he tries to change that, he doesn’t succeed.„
I think that’s what makes the Curtis Family so much different.
Darry has a high level of empathy and compassion. Darry is very hard-hearted, and very nice to other kids, and he does not really take kindly to anything even once he’s at the center of all of this.
Darry also has a very calm character, even being at his most nervous. He was always at ease at school when he was getting ready, when he had the chance and even when he was in situations where he had to take all risks. And though he was a little bit cockier when he was a kid, he didn’t show much of this attitude in school anymore.
Even today, Darry is at home at all times, and this type of care and care takes up some of his time, though he will still be very busy
One of the reasons I thought Darry was so good at babysitting was because he had to do it very fast. He has more and more responsibility than most of the other “kids”. He is able to take care of many of us now as well, yet he can still be quite at home.
My friend says, “‘The first thing I heard about Darry was he was awesome on his own’, and I think people have become accustomed to that from seeing other children in similar situations.’
, so he’s been so good to me.
He’s just doing what he loves to do and he hasn’t lost his ability to do so much as he has been to me. He has an extraordinary personality.
I have always wanted more than ever.”
While sometimes
Pony struggles with his expectations for Soda. He is self-conscious about the fact that Soda has dropped out of school, and he wants him to finish his education. Soda did not do well in school, did not like school, and is perfectly content to work in a gas station–a job he loves. Soda also believes that he is doing the right thing by helping to support his family. Pony doesnt care about any of those facts; he just wants Soda to go back to school. Gang relationships are included in the theme of family love. Ponyboys gang members need the support and security that they find in the gang. The home life situations that these boys find themselves in are often abusive. They have turned to the gang for the love and support that should have come from parents.
Johnny is painfully aware of the difference between the gang and a family and through him Pony begins to understand how lucky he is to have caring family members: “I dont know what it was about Johnny–maybe that lost-puppy look and those big scared eyes were what made everyone his big brother. . . . I thought about it for a minute–Darry and Sodapop were my brothers and I loved both of them . . . they were my real brothers, not just sort of adopted ones.” Ponys eventual ability to appreciate his family shows his growth.
The third major theme that runs through The Outsiders is the use of colors in a black and white world. Adolescents have a tendency to embrace people and events as absolutes. For example, someone or something is either right or wrong; there can be no middle ground. The characters in The Outsiders are either Socs or greasers. People are either rich or poor, good or bad. Hinton descriptively uses color throughout the book to define and add depth to the characters in their environments.
Early in the book, she associates warm colors with the Socs and cool colors with the greasers. Warmth usually is equated with inside and cool is associated with outside, and the colors reflect the characters positions in society: The greasers view the Socs as insiders and