Discussion Topic
Sandy's relationship with Soda in "The Outsiders."
Summary:
Sandy's relationship with Soda in "The Outsiders" is complicated and ultimately ends in heartbreak. Initially, they are romantically involved, but Sandy moves away when she becomes pregnant, and her parents refuse to let her marry Soda. This leaves Soda devastated, highlighting the challenges and emotional struggles faced by the characters in the novel.
What happened to Sandy in "The Outsiders" and how does Soda feel about it?
Ponyboy spends most of the book deep in his own problems, from the Socs to Bob's murder to the fire at the church. Because of this, he takes his brother Soda for granted. Soda acts as the glue between his two other brothers, and he seems to take life in stride and is a source of encouragement for his brothers and friends. As it turns out, Soda is quietly dealing with his own problems—namely Sandy.
When Pony comes home from Johnny's loss, he and Darry break out into their typical fight. Since Soda is hurting, he leaves the two of them, which he typically doesn't do. Darry then fills his little brother in on Soda's situation with Sandy.
Sandy has gotten pregnant—and not by Soda. Because he loves her so much, he offers to marry her even though he is not the father. Her parents don't approve of this...
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idea, though, and Sandy is sent to Florida for the foreseeable future.
Teenage pregnancies were certainly much more stigmatized in this time period, and Sandy doesn't have options. She leaves Soda during the same week that Pony also heads into hiding following the murder, so Soda faces doubly difficult losses in addition to the knowledge that his great love hasn't been faithful to him.
Ponyboy describes his brother, Soda, as handsome and "happy-go-lucky." Early in the story, Soda announces plans to marry his girlfriend, Sandy. Although Soda rarely shows anything other than positive feelings and emotions, it becomes clear later in the novel that Soda is struggling in his relationship with Sandy.
In chapter 12, Ponyboy notices that Soda seems troubled. When Ponyboy and Darry begin to argue, Soda becomes upset and runs out of the house. Darry and Ponyboy discover an unopened returned letter written by Soda to Sandy. Darry then explains that Sandy has gone to Florida. He implies that she is pregnant by saying, "it wasn't Soda, Ponyboy." Soda had plans to marry her although the baby was not his. Darry explains to Ponyboy that Sandy must not have the same feelings for Soda that he has for her. Ponyboy and Darry witness the emotional pain that Soda experiences through his heartbreak.
In chapter 7, Sodapop receives the unopened letter he sent to his ex-girlfriend Sandy and loses his emotions after witnessing Ponyboy and Darry fighting. Apparently, Sandy has moved to Florida to live with her grandparents after her parents discovered that Sodapop plans on marrying her. They were not enthused about the idea of Sandy marrying a sixteen-year-old boy and sent her to live with her grandparents in Florida. When Sodapop receives his letter returned and unopened, he is full of emotions. After Sodapop runs out of the house, Darry explains to Ponyboy that Sodapop planned on marrying Sandy and was brokenhearted to discover that she did not feel the same way. Sodapop is devastated that the love of his life moved to Florida and no longer has strong feelings for him. Despite his negative feelings and broken heart, Soda does a good job of covering his emotions until he can no longer repress his feelings.
In The Outsiders, how do we know Sandy loved Soda less than he loved her?
Early in the novel, Ponyboy is under the impression that the love between his brother Sodapop and his girlfriend Sandy is mutual. Because Ponyboy idolizes Soda, he imagines that Sandy feels the same way. Later in the novel, however, it is revealed that things are not right between Soda and Sandy. In chapter seven, Soda tells Ponyboy that Sandy has gone to live with her grandmother in Florida, presumably because she has become pregnant. Steve suggests that the baby is Soda's and that Sandy's parents had no intention of letting her marry the boy, who is only sixteen. Later, in chapter twelve, Darry tells Ponyboy that Soda was not the father of Sandy's baby and that it was someone else. Regardless of this, Soda is still willing to marry her, but Sandy obviously didn't love him as much as he loved her. She returns his letters unopened, which sparks Soda to run out of the house after an argument between Darry and Ponyboy. Darry says, "He told me he loved her, but I guess she didn't love him like he thought she did."