The Outsiders: The Themes In A Novel

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton published in 1967. This novel is about two teen rival gangs known as the Greases (the lower class) and the Socs (the higher class). Throughout the story, you read about two boys who develop a friendship while going on a wild adventure to escape the police after a terrible crime. Through Ponyboy and Johnny’s experience, the book symbolizes the “coming of age.”

Friendship:

Ponyboy and Johnnys bond develops over their little time together. They endeavor to protect one another after murdering another gang member and trying to escape the police. Ponyboy quoted “If you can picture a dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and it is lost in a crowd of strangers, you’ll have Johnny.” This demonstrates trust and displays that Johnny and Pony know a lot about one other, Ponyboy knows what Johnny has gone through and is going through and they trust each other with their private stories. This is an example of loyal trusting friends. During the book Johnny and Pony go through rough times like getting beaten up, getting called terrible names. This affects their attitude and their actions, like when Johnny says, “I had to. They was downing you, Pony. They might have killed you.” This quote shows that they both care so much about one another that if anything happened to one of them they would just about anything to help each other out of troubled times. But also because of all the fights, they have been in, and how many times they have been hurt, they chose to let their anger take over. They are powerful friends and would die for each other, but they have seen and gone through way too much together. Towards the middle of the text, Johnny and Ponyboy run away to escape and protect each other from the police for their crime, and problems at home. While they were together alone for a couple of days their friendship grew. “We had always been close buddies and those lonely days in the church strengthened our friendship.” This quote said by Ponyboy, clearly states that they have a friendship but it wasn’t as strong as after they spent a couple of days up in a church all alone. They have a great and strong really good friendship. They care for each other, like brothers.

Gain Of Maturity:

Throughout the book, Johnny and Pony go through a hell of an adventure, family issues to killing someone to running from the police to stay up in a church for days to church burning on fire to saving kids to having a rumble to Johnny and Dally dying. It’s a whole bunch of crazy events. “I’m sure it ain’t fair for Ponyboy to stay up in that church with soda and Darry worrying about him all the time.” This quote said by Johnny shows that Johnny has gotten mature by caring about others instead of himself first. He has changed over the past days praying for help. He is not being selfish he is being mature, caring about others that have bigger problems. “I caught sight of some crooked lettering written in the dust of the floor. “Went to get supplies be back soon J.C”.” This shows maturity because Johnny is thinking ahead, for both of them caring for others. He is being the bigger person, getting supplies that they will need for their stay. This is again of maturity shown from Johnny. “Shut up! We’re gonna get you outta here.” In this quote the two boys Johnny and Ponyboy are saving the kids from the church, this quote represents a gain of maturity because they are saving kids from a fire that they caused that its taking responsibility and sacrificing themselves for these clueless children, and being mature and taking action.

Loss Of Innocence:

Loss of Innocence is in the novel a lot when they kill Bob the Soc, run away, burn the church down, get into fights. That is all loss of innocence. “I killed him, I killed that boy.” This quote was said by Johnny after saving Ponyboy from drowning. This is Johnny losing his innocence for the first time. He had murdered someone but he did it to save his friend. “We gotta get outta here, get somewhere, run away, the police’ll be here soon.” This is a quote said by Johnny to Pony at the same time Johnny murdered Bob the Soc because they were drowning Ponyboy. This is telling and showing that Pony and Johnny have become guilty of a terrible crime and need to escape so they don’t get caught by the police and punished. This shows a loss of innocence for both of the boys Johnny and Pony. “We must have dropped a lighted cigarette of something.” This is a quote from Ponyboy when they find out and see that the church that Johnny and Pony have been using for a hideout has caught on fire with children in it. This is another time Johnny and Pony lose their innocence by causing a fire in the church by leaving a lighted cigarette.

This essay is about “coming of age” in The Outsiders, all the events that happened with Ponyboy and Johnny that made them “come of age” this essay shows what big changes that happen throughout the book that made Pony and Johnny mature, grow up enter adulthood. The big changes I saw were… Friendship, Gain Of Maturity and Loss Of Innocence. In The Outsiders “coming of age” is symbolized during the book Ponyboy and Johnny go through a bunch of crazy chain of events as the novel progresses, the character’s lives take a turn that impacts their attitude and values. They experience these changes due to death, fights, arguments, running away and a whole bunch of events. I assume the author’s message is that no matter what class you’re in, “The greasers,” “The Socs.” It’s pointless because we all are people, we all have feelings, we all live on the same planet. It doesn’t matter that someone has more money than you, can live in a better location, etc… At the end of the day, you are you and they are they and nothing and no one can change that about you, cause that’s what makes you, you. Being in a higher class doesn’t make you better than anyone else or more special. Just because you have different friend groups doesn’t mean you hate others in the opposite one. It’s pointless to fight about it, you don’t know anyone till you meet them.