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S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders depicts the differences in social classes…
S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders depicts the differences in social classes through the Greasers’ trauma, unitedness, and identity.
Body paragraph 2
The Greasers, even though always being jumped and bullied for their social class, stand united together.
“‘Hop the three-fifteen freight to Windrixville.’ Dally instructed. ‘There’s an old abandoned church on top of Jay Mountain.’” (61)
In order to flee, they turned to their fellow greaser Dally, who gave them money, a hideout location, and a gun for protection.
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“He was a strange greenish-white, and his eyes were huger than I’d ever seen. ‘I killed him,’ he said slowly. ‘I killed that boy.’” (56)
In a desperate attempt to save Ponyboy from getting drowned by the Soc, Johnny stabs Bob and kills him. This shows unitedness between the Greasers because they always have each other’s backs.
Therefore,
The Greasers will be close together no matter the circumstance and will always support each other as seen through Johnny’s and Dally’s actions.
Body Paragraph 1
Ponyboy, a Greaser, has never been jumped before. Getting jumped by the Socs was a traumatic experience.
"They had me down in a second. they had my arms and legs pinned down and one of them was sitting on my chest with his knees on my elbows, and if you don't think that hurts, you're crazy." (5)
When Ponyboy first gets jumped coming home from the movie theater, the reader finally understands the brutality of the Socs. The Socs used a switchblade in the attack which injured Ponyboy.
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after being jumped, Ponyboy was traumatized as seen when he said, “I was smarting and aching and my chest was sore and I was so nervous my hands were shaking and I wanted to start bawling, but you just don’t say that to Darry.” (7)
This quote helped develop the character because the experience made Ponyboy more cautious and aware of his surroundings.
To sum up,
Ponyboy getting jumped was traumatic for him because he almost got seriously injured by the self-entitled Socs and because of this, the experience put him under constant stress from being on guard, when walking outside alone.
Body paragraph 3
Ponyboy thinking about the rumble shows that his social standing is now ingrained in his identity as a Greaser.
"Soda Steve and I had put on more hair oil than was necessary, but we wanted to show that we were Greasers. Tonight we could be proud of it. Greasers may not have much, but they have a rep." (132)
The moments leading up to the big rumble are really important because Ponyboy is explaining his identity. He talks about how he is proud to be a greaser. Ponyboy says he does not have much, but what he does have is a sense of purpose and belonging through association with other Greasers.
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Sodapop himself is proud of who he is and exclaims,
“‘I am a greaser,’ Sodapop chanted. ‘I am a JD and a hood. I beat up people. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man, do I have fun!’”
Sodapop enjoys being who he is as a Greaser and Ponyboy stands united with him. Ponyboy is finally associating himself with being a Greaser just as Sodapop is.
Finally,
Ponyboy has an epiphany about his identity and is proud to be a greaser.