Editor's Choice
On which page of The Outsiders can the quote about growing up outside society be found?
Quick answer:
The quote isn't in the book. It's a blurb used in posters for the film version of The Outsiders released in 1983. Even so, the quote is certainly a very accurate description of the greasers and their whole outlook on life. For them, fighting gives them a sense of belonging that they can't find in a society that rejects them.
While this page is actually from a slogan used to promote the 1983 film version of The Outsiders, it provides such a fitting description of the Greasers that thinking it’s from the book is an easy mistake to make.
The fact that the Greasers don’t actually want to fight is made clear right at the beginning of the story, when Ponyboy Curtis, a Greaser, is minding his own business and walking home from the cinema when he is jumped by a group of Socs. Luckily, his gang shows up before the Socs have an opportunity to hurt him. Soon after that, we learn that is it due to an experience of being beaten by Socs that Johnny has decided to carry a knife everywhere he goes. Without the threat of violence from others, perhaps the Greasers wouldn't have to fight.
The violence soon escalates when Ponyboy, who is...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
hanging out with Johnny after a fight with his brother, is nearly drowned by a Soc named Bob. In order to protect Ponyboy, Johnny kills Bob. Again, neither Ponyboy nor Johnny were looking for this violence. Ponyboy was simply trying to cool off after a fight withDarry, and Johnny was comforting his friend. It was thanks to provocation from the Socs that the situation turns violent.
The theme of belonging is also prevalent in this novel. Having lost their parents, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy are all on a quest for identity and meaning. The big difference between the Socs and the Greasers is money. Money makes the rich Socs feel powerful and superior to the Greasers, who tend to become their punching bags.
The quote that is listed in the question does not appear in Hinton's book The Outsiders; however, the lines do definitely describe the Greasers. That quote is the tagline from the 1983 movie version of The Outsiders. The movie version is a fairly strong book to movie adaptation. Additionally, the movie's cast is basically a who's who of current Hollywood stars. Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and even Tom Cruise appear in the film.
A strong hint to readers that the quote mentioned in the question is not taken from the book is the fact that the people referenced in the quote are referred to in the third person. Readers of Hinton's novel would correctly assume that the "they grew up on the outside" refers to the Greasers. They are outsiders in their society. Readers would also remember that the book is narrated by Ponyboy. He's a Greaser, so he wouldn't refer to his own gang as "they." He would have said "we." If the quote was from the book, then it would likely have read as follows: “We grew up on the outside of society. We weren't looking for a fight. We were looking to belong."