The Socs And The Bridge In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home ( Hinton page 1). The book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a story placed in the 1960's and is about the similarities and differences of the Socs and the Greasers and the bridge that makes them the same. The story begins with the narrator introducing himself as Ponyboy a 14-year-old greaser and his gang with Darry his oldest brother, Sodapop his older brother, Johnny his best friend, Dally the toughest one, Two-bit, and Steve. Greasers are the less fortunate kids and the socs were the rich kids that would jump greasers and not get into any trouble because money and possession were the only things between

They go out to eat and when they come back they see the church burning and hear that some kids are trapped inside. They burst inside to save the kids even though Dally told them not to. Johnny then broke his back after a piece of the wood fell on him and he went to the hospital he was in critical condition. For the first time greasers were seen as hero's even though the paper read " JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES" ( Hinton page 90 ) While Johnny and Pony were in the church a big fight had been scheduled between the socs and the greasers and if the greasers won socs can't jump them again after the rumble Pony Goes to the hospital to see Johnny and to tell them that they won, but he tells Pony that it is useless and that Pony had to "stay gold" and that meant to preserve one's innocence because Johnny had felt how losing one's innocence can change a person. He then dies, Dally bursts out of the hospital. Pony goes home neglecting the fact that Johnny had died. Then when he gets home Dally calls and says that he had robed the shop and that the police were following him, when they all see him he raises his gun so that the police would shoot him, that was his way of committing