What is the main conflict in Chapter 1 of The Outsiders?

In chapter 1 of The Outsiders, there is conflict between Ponyboy and the Socs. On his way home from the movies, Ponyboy, a Greaser, faces five Socs. One of them pulls out a blade and asks Ponyboy if he needs a haircut. A fight ensues, and Ponyboy is held down and punched a few times. The Socs run away when Ponyboy's older brothers and other Greasers chase them away. This conflict in the first chapter is an introduction to a larger conflict that evolves throughout the novel between the Socs and the Greasers. The first chapter also introduces the other members of Ponyboy's gang, many of whom are like brothers to Ponyboy. By providing information on the different personalities of his brothers, Ponyboy also makes it clear that there is some conflict between himself and his oldest brother, Darry.

What is the main conflict in Chapter 1 of The Outsiders?

The main conflict in Chapter 1 is between Pony and the Socs.  You can see this from the very start of the chapter.

Pony comes out of the movie theater and starts walking home.  Then the Socs jump him and start threatening to cut his hair off or to do even worse things to him.

So, to me, this is the major conflict in this first chapter.

If you are wondering what kind of a conflict this is, it is pretty clearly a man v. man conflict.  It is one in which two people or groups of people are in conflict.

What conflicts occur in chapters 1 to 4 of The Outsiders?

The main conflict is between the greasers and the Socs.

The main conflict is between the two rival gangs.  This conflict results in them constantly fighting each other.  It is a self-perpetuating thing.  The gangs fight because they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, but they also fight to defend their members or to avenge grievances. 

Pony, Johnny, and Dally are at the movies when Dally behaves coarsely to a Soc girl, Cherry.  Despite this conflict, which of course is partly just Dally’s personality and partly due to the conflict between the greasers and Socs, Cherry comes to like Pony and Johnny.  She shows them that she is not against greasers, she just doesn’t like Dally because he is rude.

Pony also has trouble with his older brother Darry. There seems to be a perpetual conflict between the two of them.  Darry is the only father figure Pony has, because both of his parents died in a car crash.  This means Darry worries a lot, and Pony resents him.

It was my house as much as Darry's, and if he wanted to pretend I wasn't alive, that was just fine with me. He couldn't stop me from living in my own house. (Ch. 3)

Darry hits Pony because he does not know where he has been.  He obviously was worried.  However, the incident upsets Pony.  Pony and Darry are constantly fighting, and Pony feels like Darry does not understand him at all.

Things come to a boil when Johnny and Pony are attacked in the park.  A group of Socs finds them there and Johnny accidentally kills one of them in the fight.  Johnny and Pony have to go on the run then, and end up hiding out in an abandoned church.

What are the key conflicts in chapter 1 of The Outsiders?

One of the basic conflicts that emerges in the first chapter is the division between the Greasers and the Socs.  For Ponyboy, he is caught in this conflict as the novel opens.  He goes to the movies alone, an expression of a basic conflict between he and the world in which he is fundamentally different from others. On his way back and alone, he is confronted by the Socs.  They assault him, abusing him. This conflict is representative of the larger issue in which the Socs feel they are able to intimidate and harass the Greasers.  The antagonism between both groups represents one of the basic conflicts of the novel and is seen in the first chapter.

Another conflict is between how Ponyboy feels he will never be able to please Darry.  There is a generational conflict that exists between how Ponyboy feels that no matter what he does he will never be able to reach the standards that Darry places on him.  For his part, Darry is the "adult" of the family now and he believes in his role of taking care of the younger ones in the family, most notably Ponyboy.  This conflict is emphasized at the end of the chapter when Ponyboy tries to convince himself that he does love Darry, which, of course, he does. 

What is the main conflict of Chapter 2 in The Outsiders?

The main conflict discussed in Chapter 2 of The Outsiders is one that is told in flashback: Johnny was beaten badly in a field on the corner of the block in the neighborhood where the boys live. 

One night Ponyboy and Steve left Steve's car at the DX gast station where Pony's brother Sodapop works. As he and Steve walked home, they passed the field and Steve saw Johnny's blue jean jacket lying on the ground. Then, they noticed a blood stain on the collar and on the ground. Quickly, they searched the field, where they discovered Johnny lying "in a lump." He was beaten severely and even cut with a knife; in fact, there was a long cut running from his temple to his cheekbone, a cut that has now left Johnny with a serious scar. His white t-shirt was splattered with blood, as well.

Worried that Johnny might be dead, Soda called to him as he lifted Johnny. Finally, there was a murmur of recognition: "Soda?" Then, as the boys held him, Johnny told the others that he was beaten by the Socs, who had pulled up in a blue Mustang as he was looking for the football in the field. 

There were four Socs in it. They had caught him and one of them had a lot of rings on his hand--- that's what had cut Johnny up so badly. It wasn't just that they had beaten him half to death--- he could take that. They had scared him. They had threatened him with everything under the sun.

After this terrible beating, Johnny has not been the same. Although he is still never afraid to defend the Greasers, he is always nervous and "jumpier than ever." Moreover, Johnny now carries a switchblade in his back pocket, determined to never take such a beating again: "He would kill the next person who jumped him," narrates Ponyboy.

What is the main man vs. man conflict and its resolution in The Outsiders?

The main man vs. man conflict in The Outsiders is between the Greasers and the Socs, and specifically between Ponyboy and Bob in the fight in the park.

In literature, conflict is a struggle between opposing forces.  The main categories of conflicts are internal and external.  An internal conflict is an inner struggle, or a struggle against oneself (such as a decision or a fear).  An external conflict, on the other hand, is a conflict between a character and an outside force.  A man vs. man (or character vs. character) conflict is a struggle between two characters.  There are also man vs. society, man vs. supernatural/magic, or man vs. nature conflicts.

The two gangs, the Greasers and the Socs, are at odds with one another over turf.  The Greasers are working class kids and the Socs are socialists, or rich kids.  They fight because they always have.  They fight because of class differences, to settle beefs, and for control of the neighborhood.  Specifcally, Ponyboy gets attacked by Bob and his friend David during the fight in the park.

Bob shook his head, smiling slowly. "You could use a bath, greaser. And a good working over. And we've got all night to do it. Give the kid a bath, David." (p. 55)

This external man vs. man conflict is actually the driving force of the plot, because Johnny and Ponyboy have to flee after Johnny kills the boy in the park.

What is the inciting incident in The Outsiders?

The inciting incident begins the action of the story and is the moment when the protagonist experiences significant conflict. The inciting incident also changes the trajectory of the protagonist's life and encourages the protagonist to act in a different way or make a difficult decision.

In S.E. Hinton's classic novel The Outsiders, one could argue that Johnny murdering Bob Sheldon is the inciting incident of the story. In chapter four, Pony and Johnny are hanging out in a local park at night when a group of Socs surrounds them. The drunk Socs threaten the two boys and attempt to drown Ponyboy in the park's fountain. Johnny ends up killing Bob Sheldon in self-defense, saving Pony's life.

Once Pony regains consciousness, he is forced to make a significant decision and take action, which is why this moment is considered the inciting incident of the story. Pony refuses to leave Johnny's side and they proceed to find Dally, who gives them money, a gun, and directions to skip town. Pony ends up traveling to Windrixville with Johnny, where they hide out in an abandoned church. At home, the Socs have declared war on the Greasers to avenge Bob's death and a major rumble is organized.

Without the inciting incident, Pony would never have to skip town or save the children from a burning building. Also, Johnny would not have broken his back and the boys would never have to mourn the death of their close friends.

What are some external conflicts in The Outsiders?

One of the external conflicts in S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders involves the greasers' negative image in the minds of most of the adults in the town which is the setting of the story. This conflict could be labeled as person vs. society. It is exemplified by the reaction of Jerry who witnesses the bravery of Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally during the church fire but is shocked by Ponyboy's explanation ("you're kidding") that he and his friends are greasers, similar to "hoods." This opinion is reinforced by the headline in the local paper which reads, "Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heroes." The headline is typical of what society thinks of the greasers. They are simply guilty until proven innocent. The character Two-Bit fittingly criticizes the headline and tells Ponyboy, "Y'all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn't 'turn' all of a sudden."

Another external conflict is the classic person vs. person. This conflict runs through the book in the individual skirmishes between the greasers and the Socs. Boys die because of the conflict, but it might be best portrayed in the final rumble when Darry challenges any of the Socs to fight. Ironically, a former friend of Darry's, Paul Holden, steps forward. The two "used to buddy around all the time" but are now mortal enemies, and Ponyboy describes what he believes to be hatred and jealousy in the eyes of his big brother. Darry hates Paul because his former friend comes from the privileged class and has a multitude of opportunities which are denied to Darry. Ponyboy reveals that Paul is now probably a junior in college. Darry, on the other hand, never got a chance to go to college because of financial constraints and the death of his parents. Ultimately, Darry bests Paul in the rumble, winning a bit of self-respect for the greasers. Unfortunately, the victory can never alter the economic and societal circumstances that remain the focus of the conflict between greasers and Socs.

What is the rising action of The Outsiders?

To properly identify the rising action of The Outsiders, it's important to first identify the climax, as that is where the rising action will end.

The climax of a story is when the protagonist arrives at the turning point of the action, typically a moment of intense action, and is able to begin resolving the conflict. The climax of The Outsiders is when Johnny dies in the hospital and encourages Pony to stay gold. This advice begins to reshape Pony's perspective and helps him to eventually mend relationships, both with the Socs and with Darry.

The rising action, then, will cover everything until this point:

• Pony finds that he and Cherry Valance have some things in common and aren't as different as he might have thought.
• Pony and Johnny stay out too late one evening, dreaming of a better life, and fall asleep. When Pony finally gets home, he finds that Darry has been worried sick.
• Darry slaps Pony; Pony runs away.
• Johnny and Pony head to the park and are spotted by the Socs.
• Bob tries to drown Pony in a fountain, and Johnny kills Bob to save Pony.
• With some help from Dally, the two boys flee town and take refuge in an abandoned church.
• The boys entertain themselves with literature; the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" becomes central to the themes of the book.
• After a few days, Dally comes to check on them and takes them out to eat.
• When they return, they realize that the church is on fire, likely because of their own carelessness, and there are kids trapped inside.
• The three boys run into the flames to rescue the kids.
• All of the kids emerge safely, but Johnny is badly injured as he tries to exit the building himself.
• The boys are taken to the hospital and proclaimed heroes.
• The Greasers meet the Socs for a rumble and win.
• Dally and Pony go back to the hospital to tell Johnny about their victory. Johnny is much worse and tells Pony to "stay gold." And then he dies.

That takes you to the climax, and then falling action will follow. I hope this better helps you analyze the plot structure of the novel. Good luck!

What is the initial conflict in the story The Outsiders?

The conflict that is shown in the beginning of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is one between members of the "Socs" standing for "the Socials" and described as "the jet set, the West-side rich kids" (Hinton P2), and the story's main character Ponyboy, a fourteen year old member of the "Greasers" which is used to describe all the boys from "the East Side" (Hinton P2). At the beginning of the story, Ponyboy goes on to describe further the differences between the Socs, who have "editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next" (Hinton P3), and the Greasers, which he describes as "almost like hoods;we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations" (Hinton P3). The conflict between the groups occurs early in the opening pages of the story when a group of five Socs attack and jump Ponyboy as he walks home alone from the movies. This early attack sets up a larger theme of class conflict between the groups that is continually developed through out the rest of the story. Hope this helps!