![]() ![]() The impact of the trauma on Johnny is apparent immediately because he carries a switchblade and will do most anything to protect himself when Two-Bit, another of the greasers advises Ponyboy that he is not tough and he should not try to be, he is basically trying to protect Ponyboy from changing the way Johnny had changed in response to the brutality he had suffered. To become like the others, Ponyboy would likely lose the characteristics that made him unique and special, such as his interest in literature and theatre, his thoughtful nature, his concern for others and his academic gifts.ĭo you find that the article What does this quote mean in The Outsiders? “Ponyboy, listen, don’t get tough.It was the decade that gave us midnight movies, modern blockbusters, Blaxploitation epics, neo-noirs and the cream of the New Hollywood crop. Ponyboy generally avoids conflict unless it finds him, as it does on the day he is walking home alone from the movies this interaction with the “Soc” gang sets into motion a deadly chain of events that began when the Soc’s beat up Johnny Cade, the gentlest of the greaser crew. He enjoys reading, especially poetry, and he likes to see movies alone so that he can better focus and deconstruct the different components that have brought the story to the screen. Ponyboy runs with the “tough” crowd however, he is anything but. Ponyboy Curtis is best described as a complex character, because the things that might, taken individually, make him one dimensional–being an orphan, being a greaser, being a good student and track athlete–are, taken together, an unusual combination. Two-Bit’s quote–that Pony not “get tough”–is a plea to follow his own instincts, and not the get-tough attitude that Dallas Winston took to his early grave. Quiet and sensitive, Pony is not as tough as the others, and his friends hope that he stays that way. But they all see Pony as an outsider: Being the youngest and the smartest, they have hopes that he will not turn out like them. The other greasers already have given up on ever rising above their economic and social status: Soda has dropped out of school, Darry works two jobs, and Johnny has adapted to life on the streets Two-Bit, Steve and Dally are already well on their way to becoming legitimate hoods. His friends all know that Pony has a chance to make it out of town (presumably Tulsa, Oklahoma), go to college and make something of himself. Pony excels at school: He makes good grades, likes to write, and is a member of the track team. ![]() In reality, Ponyboy is a gentle, sensitive person who doesn’t want to become involved in the rumbles with the Socs.Īll of Ponyboy’s greaser pals–including his brothers–seem to understand that Pony is not like the rest of them. After he breaks the bottle, Ponyboy carefully picks up the pieces and puts them in the garbage, as he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. Two-Bit has a better sense of Ponyboy then Ponyboy himself has. Two-Bit wants Ponyboy to be true to himself and to what he likes, which is doing well in school and being kind and considerate. Instead, Ponyboy is a sensitive soul who is out of place in the ongoing violent battle between the Greasers and the Socs. Two-Bit, on the other hand, recognizes that violence is not part of Ponyboy’s nature. Ponyboy now feels that unless he gets “tough,” he will get hurt. ![]() Two-Bit observes Ponyboy picking up a glass bottle and breaking off the end of it and then using it to threaten some Socs. Two-Bit and the other Greasers recognize that Ponyboy isn’t like the rest of them. Start your subscription to unlock this answer and thousands more. ![]()
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