Summary Of S. E. Hinton's Novel The Outsiders

The Outsiders Essay

Things are rough all over, but some people have it rougher than others. In S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders the greasers and Socs are two rival gangs. Throughout the story, both gangs have had pretty tough breaks, including confrontations with one another, deaths of friends, and a huge rumble towards the end. There is no doubt these two gangs have had very hard lives. However, the greasers undeniably struggle more than the Socs because the greasers are poor, unfairly judged, and can never feel safe.

The greasers are not very wealthy. Pony states, “We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class.” (Hinton 3) They did not have nice houses, cars, or anything else of the sort. Greasers could not afford as much as the Socs. Pony also says the Socs are the rich kids from the west side and boys like him are referred to as greasers. This shows how greasers and Socs are treated differently because of how much money they possess. People view the greasers differently and use derogatory terms such as ‘delinquent’ and ‘hood’ to describe them. The greasers being poor is just one example of how they struggle more than the Socs.

Pony states, “...you can’t win against them [Socs] no matter how hard you try, because they’ve got all the breaks and even whipping them isn’t going to change that fact.” (Hinton 11) This quote shows how the greasers can never be as good as the Socs. It also shows how the Socs are always being let off easy and never held responsible for their actions. Pony also writes, “...you didn’t see a kid grease and a Socy cheerleader together often.” (Hinton 30) Greasers were thought to be criminals, and Socs were good-hearted people. It would have been very unusual and even embarrassing for Socs to be seen with greasers. It is unfair for the greasers to be treated so poorly because of a silly