Themes/Society
The Outsiders
Analyzing Theme
Themes/Society
Analyzing Theme
Themes/Society
The Outsiders, written in the 1960’s, has stood the test of
time because its message about society and class still
resonates today. Like all great literature, the book touches
upon human themes of society, violence, friendship,
brotherhood, heroes -- that have existed for centuries and
will continue to define humans and the societies they live
in. In this essay you will delineate the themes about
society that are represented by the characters and events
in the novel. You will detail how these themes resonate
with readers today. Conclude this essay by critiquing the
effectiveness in which SE Hinton delivers these
messages.
Brainstorm ideas/notes:
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Analyzing Theme
Outline
Introduction
Hook (question, quote, shocking statement, anecdote)
Provide relevant background info to introduce your topic. (effectively organizes
complex ideas, concepts, and information and supports the writing task.)
Thesis statement-this is where you tell your reader, in one or two sentences, what you
will be writing about. (effectively introduces the topic using a thesis)
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Analyzing Theme
Body Paragraph 1
Introduce idea (Uses effective and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.)
Details/Explanations/at least one Quote (Skillfully develops the thesis using facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations or other information and examples that are
relevant and sufficient. Effectively uses evidence/quotes)
Wrap it up (Provides an effective concluding statement. Uses effective transitions to
create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.)
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Analyzing Theme
Body Paragraph 2
Introduce idea (Uses effective and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.)
Details/Explanations/at least one Quote (Skillfully develops the thesis using facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations or other information and examples that are
relevant and sufficient. Effectively uses evidence/quotes)
Wrap it up (Provides an effective concluding statement. Uses effective transitions to
create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.)
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Analyzing Theme
Body Paragraph 3
Introduce idea (Uses effective and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.)
Details/Explanations/at least one Quote (Skillfully develops the thesis using facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations or other information and examples that are
relevant and sufficient. Effectively uses evidence/quotes)
Wrap it up (Provides an effective concluding statement. Uses effective transitions to
create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.)
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Analyzing Theme
Conclusion
(Provides an effective concluding section that follows from and supports the information
or explanation presented. Uses effective and varied transitions to create cohesion and
clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.)
Review your ideas...
From Paragraph 1-
From Paragraph 2-
From Paragraph 3-
Final thoughts (connect back to your intro)
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Analyzing Theme
Writing Checklist: Informative/Explanatory
I clearly introduced the topic and used a thesis.
I organized my ideas, concepts and information into clear paragraphs.
I developed my topic with well-chosen, relevant and sufficient facts,
definitions, details, quotes or other examples from the text.
I used transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among
ideas.
I used precise language and terminology to explain my topic.
I used quotes and evidence from credible sources.
I wrote a conclusion that follows and supports the information or
explanation presented.
I used appropriate language and tone.
I used a variety of sentence types.
I provided bibliographic information for sources.
I reviewed my writing for good grammar, capitalization, punctuation and
spelling.
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Analyzing Theme
Analyzing Theme
High class or low class, people are people and everyone is the same. The
Outsiders is a book about a boy named Ponyboy and his gang, The Greasers, fighting
with the Soc’s. The Soc’s are preps, who, according to Ponyboy, “jump greasers and
wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a
public disgrace one day and asset to society the next.” (Hinton, pg. 3) Society classifies
each group into low or high class. In this case, the Greasers are considered the lower
class and the Socs are considered the higher class. The Socs are the enemies in Ponyboy’s perspective. They love picking on
greasers and starting fights, yet, they are the “higher” class out of the two. Society views
them as rich and classy, and the greasers somehow agree with it. Ponyboy explains
that, “Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and
hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while.” (Hinton, pg. 3) Ponyboy
believe’s that he is what he thinks. Somehow, society has Ponyboy and the rest of the
greasers believing that they are the lower class too.
The greasers are a gang with long, greasy, slicked back hair. Society views
these hoods as the lower class. Just because they aren’t as wealthy as the Socs, or
own blue Mustangs and Madras shirts, society makes everyone believe that they are
bad people. The Greasers are dangerous and tough, and the Socs are nice and rich.
But some people don’t necessarily agree with this opinion given from society. Randy,
one of the Socs, sat down with Ponyboy and tells him, “‘You can’t win, even if you whip
us. You’ll still be where you were before- at the bottom. And we’ll still be the lucky ones
with all the breaks.’” (Hinton, pg. 117) Randy is trying to say that no matter who wins a
fight, the Greasers will always be the lower class, and the Socs will always be higher
Analyzing Theme
because they simply can not change who they really are. The fighting is a bunch of
nonsense, and society will always continue to think what they did before.
Society groups people into classes, but how does society group us today?
Classes affect people today just as they do in The Outsiders. For example, in movies, or
even in your own school, society groups people too. Maybe they are the popular kids,
the nerds, the band geeks, or the jocks. People are grouped everywhere. If someone
can’t afford a fancy car, they’re automatically considered low class, because thats how
society makes it. In reality, who is the better class? Low or high? During their
conversation, Randy the Soc shared his opinion with Ponyboy about classes,
“Sometimes I think its the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs…” (Hinton,
pg. 117) Randy thinks that people who aren’t low or high class are the ones that are
truly lucky. most likely because they don’t have to deal with proving that they are the
better class, so they stay in the middle.
Society in The Outsiders groups the Socs and the Greasers as high and low
classes. But at the end of the day, do classes even matter? No. As Cherry said during
her conversation with Ponyboy, “Things are rough all over .“ (Hinton, pg. 35) This is a
message about society. No matter if you’re low or high class, or a Soc or Greaser,
things will never be perfect. People will always be judged and people will always get into
trouble no matter what class society puts you in. High class or low class.