Behind Appearance

Authors Note: This is a piece [referring to The Outsiders]about not judging other people before you get to know them.

    The greasers and socs have a comprehensive rivalry with each other. Greasers are sort of at the bottom of the food chain because everyone underestimates them and thinks they are senseless thugs. The socs on the other hand, are rich kids who get good grades, cars, houses, but they also have good weapons and numbers too. The way of solving problems between these two groups is fighting or rumbling. Is that really going to solve anything?

    In the story, many small battles occur between greasers and socs due to their actions offending each other. On the day of the big rumble, Johnny and Dally are in the hospital due to injuries from saving children from the burning church. Johnny had severe burns all over his body, but worst of all, he had a broken back. Dally on the other hand, had a badly burned and slightly immobilized arm, but he broke out of the hospital and came to rumble. Many of the greasers were really beat up after the brawl, but it did almost nothing for the greasers or socs. It was after the rumble that they were really beat up because of the deaths. To most socs, they believe this as the stereotypical greaser's life.

    There was one soc that really understood the greasers but didn't stand up for them. That social was Randy. One of the first times Randy was mentioned in The Outsiders, was when Johnny and Ponyboy were getting mugged in the park by the fountain. After Randy talks with Ponyboy, Randy realizes that there are some greasers that feel pain and have feelings for others. On the other hand, Ponyboy realizes that socs aren't all rich, perfect teenagers that just jump greasers for fun and get whatever they want. Sadly, many of the other greasers or socs can't feel this because a portion of why they live out of is hatred of the other group.

    In the story, it seems like greasers are fighters and thugs, while socs are smart and wealthy, though if you look behind the scenes, everyone is the same inside. It is just what they choose to do with their life that people see. This is the living situation for lots of people these days in parts of the world. Their parents are dead or they were abandoned by their parents, and they have turned against some of their friends that made the right choices. What you do with your life is what you want to do with it. Don't get involved in gangs and make bad friends. Stick with the guys that make good choices and keep them as friends.