The Outsiders Society and Class

At this point in the narrative, Ponyboy seems to believe that socioeconomic status is the deciding factor in every situation.

Money seems to be the main thing that divides the Greaser from the Socials, at least from Ponyboy's perspective. He sees his society, and maybe the world, as divided by those who have and those who don't. Do you agree with him?

Basically Pony is saying that he and the Greasers are the lowest income group in the city.

These are the words of Dallas Winston, of course. When the novel begins, he's just gotten out of jail. Dallas, like many of the characters in the novel, belongs to a criminal class. We see criminal behavior in both Greasers and Socials.

Mickey Mouse (the horse) becomes, for Pony, a symbol of his family's economic class. He doesn't understand why some boys can own horses and others can't. Plus, Mickey Mouse and Soda loved each other. Shouldn't love be enough?

Johnny takes back his threat to commit suicide, but still showing the depths of his desperation. Like Pony, the constant threat of violence from the Socials is coloring his entire world. He dreams of a place where people get past such divisions. In a way, he found that place in the church on Jay Mountain.

Ponyboy's actual situation isn't that awful, all things considered. He grew up in a loving family and has always had a warm bed. But the Socials are getting away with terrorizing him and the Greasers because they have money for lawyers, etc. This culture of fear intensifies all the economic issues that Pony's family and all of his friends face.

Cherry Valance gets Pony thinking about nature – something he already loves – as a connecting factor that doesn't care about class or wealth.

Pony realizes something important about himself – the desire to help others is another thing that cuts across social and class divisions.

Pony is really bitter here, and still convinced that everything's about money. But, he has a point and maybe a message for his readers – there's a real problem here and he wants real help, not little gestures and pity. But are Cherry's gestures too small? Does she make a difference for him?

Steve Randle is mimicking some of the common ways boys like them are described in their society. We find "victim of environment" and "underprivileged" particularly intriguing. What do they mean to you? Are they fair? Helpful? Prejudicial?

Pony wants to represent and reach out to other boys in his class – in this case, the class of boys who struggle against their economic situations, who are involved in violence and feel spurned by the rest of society.