Stereotyping

        The issue of stereotyping is something that is brought forth in this novel a lot. It’s something that still exists today and is prevalent in any person’s life. This is something that Ponyboy himself does in the novel when thinking about what it would be like to be a Soc. For example, when he states “I really couldn’t see what Socs would have to sweat about—good grades, good cars, good girls, madras, and Mustang and Corvairs—Man, I thought, if I had worries like that I’d consider myself lucky” (Hinton 36), this shows his own person ideas of how the Socs live. This is something that a lot of people do to others based on what they hear about someone or see. This issue was brought up in an article by Joanne Gillespie entitled “Getting Inside S. E. Hinton’s ‘The Outsiders’”. She talks about how she introduces this book to her students and how she starts off the conversation with them. This is something that a lot of teenagers go through, so it’s helpful that they are able to talk about it in a safe environment. In the article, it talks about “to develop, students need to learn about each other’s lives as well as reflect on their own. When they hear personal stories, classmates become real instead of cardboard stereotypes” (Gillespie). This is very important for students to learn because they will one day be the adults running the world and it’s important for them not to have any type of prejudices.