The Outsiders Book Review Essay

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. One of the reasons I enjoyed it was how realistic it was. In many places today people with less money are looked down upon by society. They are thought to be worth less because they do not have as much as other people. The Socs were the rich who thought they were better than the greasers. They show this by attacking the greasers for fun. An example from the beginning of the book is when Ponyboy got jumped for the first time.“‘Hey grease,’ one said in an over-friendly voice. ‘We’re gonna do you a favor, greaser. We’re gonna cut all that long greasy hair off.’” The Socs get fun out of causing pain to the greasers. This is shown by how the Soc uses an overly friendly voice before he tries

Here both Johnny and Ponyboy go back in to save the children. Johnny is very badly injured in the process and breaks his back. Both characters are considered heroes by the people who used to look down on them. Johnny dies in the hospital from his wounds after Ponyboy tells him about the battle between the Socs and the greasers. After Dally hears that Johnny dies he gets himself killed by the police. Seeing two of his close friends die had an impact on Ponyboy. He grew tougher and more like his older brother Darry. After a few Socs encounter him and want to hurt him for what he did to their leader Bob, he is ready to hurt or kill one of them. Two Bit asks Ponyboy,“‘You really would have used that bottle wouldn’t you?’” Ponyboy was an emotional wreck after losing his friends, and was no longer afraid of the Socs. Johnny also went through many changes during the duration of the book. At the beginning of the book he is described as “scared of his own shadow”. Ponyboy didn’t think much of him and thought of him as, “...a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers.” Johnny is considered the pet of the group.