Essay On The Outsiders

Words: 920
Pages: 4

“Can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?” (Hinton 129) is one of the many quotes from a well-loved book (and movie) known as The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This is a story about a group of juvenile delinquents, otherwise known as Greasers, who go through many tragic and serious events and try to cope with the outcome. Many life-changing themes are subtly snuck into the plot during the many moments that the characters experience. One major theme is related to the two different social classes in the book: the Greasers and Socs. It states that humans should not be based on their wealth and status, but on their personality and character. Since the social groups in the novel interact differently with each other, they end up creating …show more content…
Even though the movie shows characters in a physical form, the book conveys the theme greater because of the extra events and dialogue that are left out of the movie. One of these cut moments is the conversation between Ponyboy and Cherry in the movie theater about Sodapop, Ponyboy’s brother, and his horse, Mickey Mouse. This scene is what really bonded Ponyboy and Cherry and tore down the social barrier between the two. Another missing event is the time when Ponyboy denies that Johnny killed Bob and instead believes that he killed Bob. This brings more character to Ponyboy because it shows his deep connection with Johnny and his ways to cope with his death. In the end, the book gives characters more of a backstory and develops on the theme a lot more than the book. The Outsiders is not just a story; it is a moral that many people can abide by. The theme of breaking down social barriers and getting along with each other is always present in the realistic plot of this novel. Because the Greasers and Socs interact differently with each other and end the struggle between them, they drive the theme to become a necessary plot device that allows the reader to see past their own barriers in life. All in all, a novel about people being divided by their class has themes that go beyond being a moral of the