In the book The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, Ponyboy and his two brothers live in small
town in Oklahoma with a gang of trouble makers that are dubbed the Greaser and
are in social warfare with a different gang called the Soc, rich city kids that
have the world handed to them. Thought the story many themes are displayed as Pony
and his gang battle with the Socs. The one theme that I found constant through the
story was survival.
After a brutally fight with Darry, Pony and Johnny are laying
down in a park. When a Soc named Bobby that had jumped Johnny and left brutal scars
across his whole body. Pony passes out and when he awakes he sees the dead body
of Bobby after he had pulled a blade on Johnny. Johnny and Pony both know what they have to
do, that’s to go on the run.
Now today Johnny would be fine because he killed Bobby in
self defense and people hopefully would ot stereotype. Although back then he
was an outcast and no one would believe him, so he had to go on the run. They have to cut their hair so no one notices them.
Also they have to stay off the main
roads and shops so no one catches them.
This part of the story reminds me of the story of Airmen
Johnson that Ii read online. Where his jet was hit with a SAM missile, he
ejected and landed in a forest. He had to survive eight days behind enemy
lines. Now of course he was surviving from soldiers that would fire at will at even the sight of
him and Pony was on the run from police that wouldn’t kill him, but the theme
of survival stays the same in both stories.
Most everyone these day has do to something to survive even
if that means being home alone for an hour. You have to survive or not burn
down the house, but I grantee most people would not be able to survive what Pony
did.
