When is Ponyboy Curtis considered an outsider in The Outsiders?
Pony is an outsider because he is a greaser, and he is also different from the other greasers.
An outsider is someone who does not fit in. Ponyboy Curtis is twice an outsider. First, all of the greasers are outsiders. They are poor, and they wear their hair differently. ...
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Because of this, they are looked down upon by mainstream society. However, even among the greasers Pony is an outsider because he is different.
Pony is reflective and introspective, and very intelligent. Unlike many greasers who have dropped out of school, Pony likes school and gets good grades. He loves reading and going to the movies, both as intellectual pursuits. Pony stands out among his friends because he is not quite like them.
And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. For a while there, I thought I was the only person in the world that did. So I loned it. (Ch. 1)
Pony abhors violence, and is in fact not very good at fighting. He takes part in rumbles only rarely, such as when he wanted to fight the Socs over Johnny. Pony prefers to have his nose in a book.
Unlike most of the other greasers, Pony has a future. He has a chance to not be a greaser someday, through education and hard work. It is also significant that he does not want to be like the others, but he identifies with them too. They are still his friends, and where you come from matters.
Finally, Pony is able to see beyond class and gang conflicts. He notices that Cherry is not like he expected a Soc to be. He also has an honest conversation with Randy about violence and the clash between the gangs. Pony is able to realize that Socs and greasers do have a lot in common.
When is Ponyboy judged in The Outsiders?
Ponyboy gets judged all the time, simply by virtue of being a Greaser. And he hates it. Despite his gang affiliation, he's still a human being and an individual with his own unique characteristics. He is also uncommonly well-read and intelligent for a boy of his age and background.
But society doesn't care about any of that. Ponyboy is seen as little more than a thug—a juvenile delinquent from the wrong side of the tracks. In actual fact, though, he's not like that at all. He doesn't subscribe to the Greaser lifestyle and all it entails; he doesn't get drunk, carry out muggings, or engage in mindless acts of violence for the sheer hell of it.
Yet still society sees him as a hoodlum. And Ponyboy, not unreasonably, doesn't think that's fair. He thinks that if society's going to judge him, it should be on the basis of his character, not his gang affiliation.