The Outsiders Theme
Anna C.
Ms. Miller
9.16.14
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton has many themes, all of which important, but one of the most repeated themes is staying gold and finding it. Ponyboy has to learn to find the gold the world around him to be able to remain optimistic throughout hard situations. He with Darry and Johnny has to find gold in his family to be able to push through struggles with someone to love. Lastly, he has to learn to see the gold in himself. Seeing the gold in the world around them, others and themselves in hard situations is one of the most important themes in The Outsiders.
Seeing the gold in life is one of the repeated points in this theme, and helps Ponyboy, Johnny, and Cherry see the gold in others as well as themselves.…show more content… Ponyboy and Dally have had a big misunderstanding between them which is only resolved when they actually think about how much they’re hurting each other and Sodapop. They need to learn to see the gold in each other, not the hardened parts of each other. Ponyboy thinks, “Neither of us had realized what it was doing to soda to hear us fight. I was sick and cold with shame...never a thought to how much it was hurting him… We're all we got left. We ought to stick together against everything. If we don't have each other , we don't have anything. If you don't have anything, you end up like Dallas… I saw that I expected Darry to do all the understanding without even understanding him.” (pg.175-176)Ponyboy realizes the importance of family in this scene, but also realizes the need to love and see the gold in others in the scene with Dally. In the scene where Johnny dies, Dally is so upset that he kills himself. Ponyboy wonders, “Why can I take it when Dally can't? And then i knew. Johnny was the only thing Dallas loved. And now Johnny was gone.” This shows how important seeing the gold in others and loving them is essential. Dally only saw gold in Johnny, and holds on to it as a lifeboat. Once Johnny dies, Dally has no gold in his life and sinks. Seeing the gold in other people you love is one of the most emphasized parts in this