The concept of Coming of Age is celebrated in various cultures worldwide as teenagers move into adulthood. The age at which this shift happens varies across countries, ranging from 16 to 21. The media uses this concept to portray characters who undergo personal growth and learn valuable lessons as they enter a new phase in life. In S.E Hinton's 'The Outsiders', the main character Ponyboy Curtis, aged just fourteen, goes through a complete transformation in just two weeks and gains a mature outlook on life.
The story revolves around the friendship and rivalry between two factions, namely the Greasers and the Socs. The Socs are affluent adolescents who flaunt their girlfriends while driving convertibles. Conversely, the Greasers are less fortunate youths who have faced challenging upbringings. Some of them have resorted to criminal activities, causing societ
...y to view all Greasers as lawbreakers. This group consists of boys aged 14 to 18 who have been forced to mature rapidly due to their difficult backgrounds.
In her book, Hinton uses the characters to both advance the plot and illustrate the initial contrasts between the Greasers and Socs. Each individual is self-centered, thinking they alone confront life's obstacles. However, as the narrative progresses and the characters engage with one another, it becomes clear that everyone, regardless of social standing, faces difficulties. Despite shouldering adult responsibilities at a young age, the Greasers are still lacking in maturity.
Throughout the book we encounter phrases such as, "...But then, Darrys gone through a lot in his twenty years, grown up too fast" (Hinton, Pg. 2), which illustrates the difficult circumstances the boys face at home. Additionally
the statement "Darry didn’t deserve to work like an old man when he was only twenty" (Hinton, Pg. 16) expresses clear resentment. The Greasers harbor deep dissatisfaction with life, as is evident from their actions and the underlying anger they carry. They perceive life as unjust and believe they have been dealt a hard hand, without realizing that adversity is a shared experience everyone must face at some point.
Through PonyBoy’s perspective, we witness the transformation of each character, revealing that coming of age is not limited to getting older but instead encompasses the accumulation of life experiences that shape our worldview. This maturation is exemplified in the words of PonyBoy as he reflects on his brother Sodapop’s sacrifice of dropping out of school to support him and Darry's premature aging as he strives to provide for their family while juggling two jobs and missing out on fun. (Hinton, Pg. 43)
The protagonist has learned that life can be unjust and sometimes requires doing nonsensical things. However, a quote from the book, 'Soda pop’ll never grow up at all. I don’t know which ways the best. I’ll find out one of these days…' (Hinton, Pg. 2), demonstrates the maturity achieved by the protagonist. Despite being an artist and dreamer who doesn't quite fit in with the Greasers, PonyBoy's unique perspective enables him to mature and comprehend the challenges of life, often necessitating choices that contradict one's inherent inclinations.
- Adolescence essays
- Childhood essays
- Growth Mindset essays
- Individual essays
- Infant essays
- Is Google Making Us Stupid essays
- American Literature essays
- Between The World and Me essays
- Book Report essays
- Book Review essays
- Book Summary essays
- Books essays
- Character essays
- Coming of Age essays
- Dante's Inferno essays
- Everyday Use essays
- Flowers for Algernon essays
- Genre essays
- Greek Mythology essays
- Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl essays
- Letter essays
- Literary Criticism essays
- Literary devices essays
- Literature Review essays
- Metaphor essays
- Myth essays
- Play essays
- Plot essays
- Poem essays
- Poetry Analysis essays
- Protagonist essays
- Reader essays
- Reason essays
- Rhetoric essays
- Rhetorical Question essays
- Rhyme essays
- Simile essays
- Tragic Hero essays
- Translation essays
- Understanding essays
- Utopia essays
- Villain essays
- Writer essays
