"The Outsiders" Greasers vs.. Socs

Differences and similarities of Greasers and Socs.

In the book The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton The protagonist Ponyboy was part of a gang called the greasers. The greasers had a rival gang that was the Socs. The two gangs hated each other, but as we read on in the book we discovered that along with many differences there were many similarities between the two gangs.

            There were many differences between the Socs and greasers. One difference was the way the two gangs dressed. The greasers dressed in white t-shirts and had very greasy hair. The greasers were also known for there long tuff hair. The Socs dressed in madras shirts and were much wealthier than the greasers. Because the Socs were wealthier they had nice cars such as Mustangs and Caviars. The greasers were poor and did not own much. The greasers were more like brothers than just a gang. They loved each other and would always help each other out. The Socs were some what different. The Socs were more of a gang than brothers.

             In the book there were many similarities too. Both of these groups were gangs and they both disliked each other. In the book Ponyboy learns from Cherry Valance that everyone was equal and saw the same sunset. All of the members of both groups were young teenagers. Both gangs would constantly fight each other. In the book the setting takes place in Oklahoma. This was where both groups lived, learned, and fought.

            In conclusion, you can see how even though both of these gangs were so different they were also very similar. As I read the book I could see that the main reason the boys were in the gangs were because they all had there problems. The boys wanted to fit in and live normal lives, but due to issues such as broken families they couldn’t.

Cover of The Outsiders

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  1. Posted January 14, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    nice write thnx for sharing

  2. Posted January 24, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    interesting post

  3. Posted February 5, 2010 at 3:11 pm

    i read that book over 2 years ago

  4. timaaay
    Posted February 18, 2010 at 3:12 am

    cool post (Y)
    i needed the help :D

    read the book 3 times, cried 4 times. :)

  5. Posted September 9, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    The Outsiders is a book that battles the social injustice of that specific time period. It shows people the extent that others would do just to get a reputation as the usual “bad boy” or the “good kid”. If you look at it another way, it’s like Romeo and Juliet, with Ponyboy as Romeo and Cherry as Juliet. The Greasers/Montagues eventually lose a person that was dear to them, and so do the Socs/Capulets. In the end, they realize that fighting doesn’t get them far, and so they try to make amends. Except in this book “Romeo” and “Juliet” don’t kill themselves. Truly a spectacular book that I’ld want to read again multiple times!!!

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