The Outsiders- Book
Wednesday October 20th 2010, 9:16 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

I read a book called the outsiders and it was a really great read.  It was about two gangs, The Socs and Greasers, and how they are rivals seperated by socioeconomic standings.  Both groups were white americans, however, the Greasers where lower class white males while the Socs were that of middle to upperclass.  The book surrounds itself on the character Ponyboy and his trials and tribulations as a greaser and growing up in a low income neighborhood while attending a Soc school.  The book goes into details on how there are barriers within a person’s own race in which they are seperated in minority and majority groups, superiority and inferiority.  While reading the novel it is easy for a person to gain awareness that socioeconomic status seperates groups and it depicts on how teens treat other teens because one group has more than the other.  It was a book that surrounds itself on males while most of the trouble that occured throughout the story stemmed from girls. 

Although it may seam as if the obvious problem between the two groups were money, the real problem that the group had with each other was jealousy that “thier” girls will flirt or like the other group’s girl.  Since each member live on polarized side of the tracks it is unacceptable for the girls to date on the other side of the track so when a Soc girl, Cherry, starts to like a Greaser, Dallas, alot of problems start  to occur.  The book is based alot on socioeconomic status and loyalty to your own status.  For a Soc girl to like a Greaser guy was unacceptable but it is acceptable for the Soc guys to hook up with greaser girls.  The book didn’t focus to much on race as it does socioeconomic status and staying in the right group.