Wayne F.
Contemporary Literature
2 March 2014
Staying Gold (92%)
Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.1 In the events of The Outsiders, Ponyboy is faced with many troubles in his life. His opportunities, or lack thereof, cause him make decisions that could endanger his own life. Unfortunately, some of the decisions he is faced with are inevitable and are just part of the society in which he lives. He was quite unfortunate in his situation.
The story begins with a teenage by the name of Ponyboy Curtis, who belongs to a lower-class group of Oklahoma youths who call themselves greasers because of their greasy long hair. Walking home from a movie, Ponyboy is attacked by a group of Socs, the greasers’ rivals, who are upper-class youths from the West Side of town. The Socs, short for Socials, gang up on Ponyboy and threaten to slit his throat. A group of greasers comes and chases the bullies away, saving Ponyboy. Ponyboy’s rescuers include his brother Sodapop, a charming, handsome high-school dropout, and Darryl, Ponyboy’s oldest brother. The rest of the greasers who come to Ponyboy’s rescue are Johnny, a sensitive sixteen-year-old; Dallas (or Dally), a hardened street hood with a long criminal record; Steve, Sodapop’s best friend; and Two-Bit, the oldest and funniest group member.
The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny go to a movie with Dally. They sit behind a pair of attractive Soc girls. Dally flirts with the girls obnoxiously. After Johnny tells Dally to stop harassing the Soc girls, Dally walks away. Johnny and Ponyboy sit with the girls, who are named Cherry and Marcia, and Ponyboy and Cherry discover that they have a lot in common. Two-Bit arrives, and the three greasers begin to walk the Soc girls to Two-Bit’s house so he can drive them home. On the way to Two-Bit’s house, they run into Bob and Randy, the girls’ drunken boyfriends. The girls must leave with their...