outsiders essay about johnny

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The Outsiders

S. e. hinton.

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Both the Socs and the greasers sacrifice their individuality to the styles and sentiments of their groups. Greasers, for example, wear their hair long and oiled, and share a common hostility toward the Socs.

At the start of the novel, Ponyboy is a dedicated greaser even though he knows that certain aspects of his personality make him different from the rest of the gang. The gang provides him with too great of a sense of safety and strength to even consider life outside of it. But the events surrounding Bob 's death cause Ponyboy to think more deeply about who he wants to be, and his conversations with Johnny , Cherry , and Randy lead him to reflect on the path his life is taking. He begins to question the reasons for conflict between Socs and greasers, and he thinks hard about the decision to participate in the rumble. Ponyboy's willingness to enter friendships with Socs signals the development of a distinct personal identity, one that includes association with the greasers but excludes total devotion to the greaser way of life. Darry encourages Ponyboy to pursue a life beyond gang membership, and the deaths of Johnny and Dally inspire the expression of his individual point of view in the English essay he writes. By the end of the novel, Ponyboy has committed himself to a life that will, at least in part, encourage other boys to find their own paths and voices, outside of the gang identity.

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The Outsiders

73 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Before You Read

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-10

Chapters 11-12

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

What is the significance of the novel’s title? Are there any true outsiders in this book?

Johnny’s last words to Pony are a reference to the Frost poem he heard Pony recite in the church. Do you agree with Johnny’s interpretation of the text? How does this poem help readers understand various characters?

Ponyboy likes watching movies and reading books to escape his reality, but they often mirror it instead. How does the various literature in the novel help him understand parts of his own life?

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The Outsiders: Johnny Cade Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis: Johnny Cade SE Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders conveys the true dilemmas and struggles that all teenage kids go through. One of the inevitable struggles that teenagers go through is dealing with change. From weak and afraid to courageous and bold, Johnny Cade’s personality evolves throughout the novel. His changes separate him from the rest of the characters who remained constant throughout. Johnny undergoes many struggles that made him emotionally and physically unstable.

But with the gang by his side, he learns a lot and rapidly changes the way he thinks. Johnny is depicted as a vulnerable teen, filled with fear. In the beginning of the novel, Johnny is jumped by the Socs, leaving him traumatized. That caused Johnny to carry a just-in-case pocketknife at all times. Johnny feared that where ever he went there always was a chance of getting jumped again. Ponyboy mentions, “He had a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes, and that beating he got from the Socs didn’t help matters,” and even the gang knew that he is a very troubled kid.

Also his family issues didn’t help at all. His dad was abusive and his mom didn’t have a care in the world for Johnny. But as the story progresses the different scenarios changes Johnny. Later in the story, the death of Robert Sheldon constructed a big contribution to the chage of Johnny. “You really killed him, huh, Johnny? ” (57). He unwillingly killed Bob in order to save Ponyboy from drowning. Johnny takes immediate action by leading the way for Ponyboy. He went to Dally, asked for help, and got most things semi-taken care of.

While they were at the church, Johnny took control by taking care of everything, buying food, supplies, and things like cards to kill time. Johnny acting this way was the start of him realizing that there were more important things in life. As the novel draws to a close Johnny chooses to risk his own life to save the kids in the fire. He realized that saving the kids would be better for everyone including himself and he shows his realization by saying, “Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids,” reassuring Ponyboy that nothing was Ponyboy’s fault almost.

Johnny knew saving those kids was a great choice that he does not have to regret because he knew is he died, he would die gallant. In The Outsiders, the author portrays the rue dilemmas and struggles that all teenagers go through. The dilemmas you go through makes you who you are. Johnny’s change in personality only happened because of the events he experienced. Everyone goes through hard times, and the best thing is to learn from them. Johnny Cade realized the good of life, learning from his past, and just accepting the things that have occurred to him.

Author: Wilma Daniels

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What to watch as the 2024 Democratic National Convention begins

While Vice President Kamala Harris and her running-mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz already won the party’s nomination in an early virtual roll-call, this year’s Democratic National Convention is an opportunity for the party to rally around its new presidential ticket.

Convention festivities will take place over the course of a week, and will culminate in Harris’ ceremonial acceptance speech Thursday night.

This year’s convention is already historic. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month with 107 days to go until the election. Kamala Harris will be the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party’s presidential ticket.

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Minyon Moore, the DNC chair, wrote an op-ed for theGrio that Harris has “worked day and night” to earn her endorsement from President Joe Biden.

Moore, a former White House political director under Bill Clinton and a consultant for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, underscored the significance of Harris’ nomination.

“We’re standing on the precipice of something truly historic — electing the first woman president of the United States and showing the world what is possible when we come together as a country,” she wrote.

Here are four things to be on the lookout for as the convention gets underway.

1. What case will Harris make to voters?

Vice President Harris speaks at a 2024 campaign event on prescription drug prices, on august 15, 2024. Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The DNC will be one of the first major opportunities for Harris to re-introduce herself to the country, make her policy platform clear, and to talk up her bona fides. This week, the vice president unveiled an economic policy plan that focused on expanding child tax credits, banning price gouging and lowering prescription drug costs.

The convention is a place for Harris to build on her vision for presidency, despite the fact that the Democratic Party platform still names Biden as the nominee.

Last month, PBS News heard from several voters in swing states who took part in focus groups organized by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. Some felt they didn’t know enough about Harris’ record, despite being unenthusiastic about voting for her opponent, former President Donald Trump. Wendy, a voter from Pennsylvania who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, felt Kamala Harris was still unknown. “She hasn’t been very visible for most of Biden’s presidency,” she said. “She was elected vice president, and then she just kind of disappeared.”

2. Bright lights, big names

Each night, leading names in politics will take the DNC stage.

Biden will kick off the weeklong festivities Monday. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also set to speak on the opening night of the convention. Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will address delegates on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Overall, the convention is set to be a more star-studded affair than its Republican counterpart, with smatterings of daytime and evening events with celebrity guests. Actor and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus will host a panel with female Democratic governors. Dreyfus played the fictional and sardonic Vice President Selina Meyer on HBO’s “Veep,” and social media timelines have been flooded with the life-imitates-art memes since Harris formally secured the Democratic nomination in early August.

Singer-songwriter John Legend will headline a party hosted by billionaire Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday.

3. Protests in the background

The anger at the Biden administration over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war is expected to play a role at this year’s DNC. There will be 30 “uncommitted” delegates present, the result of coordinated protest votes in primary elections this year.

Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, is home to the largest Palestinian population in the U.S., and more than 150 coalition groups, comprising thousands of demonstrators, are expected to protest the war in Gaza.

The “March on the DNC” will take place on various days throughout the week of the convention. Pro-Palestinian groups will be joined by ally groups protesting for LGBTQ+ rights, access to reproductive care, among other demands.

Deanna Othman, a member of American Muslims for Palestine in Chicago, which is organizing one of the protests in the city, told PBS News that “the Democratic party has been complicit and needs to change policy.” She hopes that planned demonstrations will get national attention to demand more than “empty promises” from lawmakers.

“Vice President Harris not being Donald Trump is not enough to get votes,” she added. “The Democratic party has been in charge, and bears the responsibility of what has befallen the people of Gaza.”

4. The influencer convention

In a DNC first, the entire week will be streamed using vertical video on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

By broadcasting in a format native to social media, the committee hopes to attract younger viewers who primarily get their news through these apps. Organizers have also credentialed more than 200 social media content creators to this year’s convention, offering them dedicated workspace and the opportunity to go live directly from the convention floor.

Several popular TikTokers like Johnny Palmadessa , Elizabeth Booker Houston , and Jeremy Jacobowitz are all expected to be in attendance.

The convention committee will also be rolling out a “blue carpet” for surrogates to walk and be interviewed by online creators. Comedian Matt Friend, best known for his Trump impression , will be Snapchat’s “blue carpet” correspondent.

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American prep clothing finally finds its edge

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When we talk about “traditional American menswear,” rarely do we ask what that actually means. Whose “American tradition” are we pointing to? For better or worse, that phrase usually means what is most commonly referred to as “prep.” The classic polos, khakis and three-roll-two blazers commonly associated with Ralph Lauren . Prep is a trend that’s not really a trend at all, a much fussed-over buzzword that describes the very foundation of the American wardrobe. It’s in the air and the water here and has been exported across the world. It’s a style that is almost synonymous with lineage, legacy and family. There’s a reason a cooked J. Crew polo and slowly decaying Sperry Top Siders will always look good. It’s because they tell a story. Classic American clothes tell a hell of a story — of your life, your family or the entire nation. It’s clothing associated with the ruling class, the wealthy and the white. Back to the original question: Whose American tradition are we pointing to? Whose story is this?

Chris Echevarria, the mind behind the brand Academy , asks that question with everything he releases. And in the answer, Echevarria says: my story, but also yours. The looks are familiar — gold-button blazers, oxfords and rugbys — but with the edge of New York City peacocking. It’s the uniform of Echevarria’s youth on the East Coast, bopping between the suburbs and Manhattan. For most American heritage menswear, nostalgia is a heavy influence, but the young Black designer doesn’t want to play with all that. “Nostalgia is a good way to play on people’s emotions. And it’s an easy way to play on people’s emotions,” Echevarria tells me over Zoom. “I don’t want to play with people’s emotions in that way.”

Academy is, in a sense, backward-looking. The site’s About page boldly declares that the brand is “rooted in education and the lifelong pursuit of enrichment.” When you see the clothes, you can’t help but think about school — either your school or the imaginary preparatory academy (hence the name) from a movie like “Dead Poets Society.” It’s also about what happens after school, those youthful trips to the mall to comb through racks and racks of Gap or Banana Republic. Echevarria is clearly still communicating with that version of himself as he tells me about his mom taking him to the mall in his home state of New Jersey to start the long process of understanding what style meant to him. But he also sees that nostalgia as a trap that prevents personal growth. How much do you want to pine for “better days,” when maybe there was more under the surface of those “better days” than we want to admit?

Echevarria got his start in fashion by dropping out of the University of Maryland premed program. From there, he moved back to New York to make a go of his passion for getting dressed, first with a job at Kidrobot, then a spot at Parsons School of Design. But Parsons made its fashion students work through courses in womenswear before they even considered approaching men’s clothing. What set Echevarria off was a stint at the holy mecca of late-2000s menswear: the J. Crew Liquor Store in Lower Manhattan. Echevarria waxes lovingly about that time, when the Ludlow suit reigned supreme and razor-sharp, “Mad Men”-style tailoring was all the rage. He is, dare I say, a little nostalgic for the moment it all started to really click. “If I didn’t have those experiences, I probably wouldn’t be where I am.”

The Liquor Store heralded a new age of the man’s relationship to clothing — that it could be a lifelong pursuit: for creativity, joy and defiant self-expression. And it all happened with the classics of prep. “Now you had everything that you wanted as a man in one place, and you had people there that could speak to that specifically for you,” Echevarria says. “Before that, there wasn’t much [community].”

Echevarria networked with the heavy hitters and up-and-comers who would define the menswear scene in the years after. Brands like Billy Reid, Thom Browne and Scott Sternberg’s dearly departed Band of Outsiders remixed and reimagined the simplicity of menswear. “Band of Outsiders really showed me how fun this industry could be, just through the silhouettes, through the colors used, through the way that [Sternberg] pushed boundaries on design but still made it classic in a way that was ’80s and modern at the same time.”

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Taking what he learned in the streets of SoHo, Echevarria in 2017 launched Blackstock & Weber, a line of forward-thinking loafers that hit just as menswear was having another go at prep. Guys who might have focused all their energy on Jordans now were copping shoes their dad might have worn, but with the bold twists that define everything Echevarria does — two-tones, chunky lug soles and cheetah print.

Academy, which launched last fall, is a natural extension of what Echevarria started with Blackstock & Weber. The familiar, but different. Chinos with pennants sewed across them nod to Ralph Lauren. There’s camo , which is so dialed into trends but also inspired by Japanese military style. Prep clothes are given a swagger that they don’t always have.

If this sounds like other brands you might be into, you’re not wrong. Your IG feed and your shopping cart are filled with brands touching American heritage fashion and injecting urban New York into it, but there’s one major difference that Echevarria articulates simply: “The difference between me and [other prep designers] is that I can say n—, and [they] can’t,” he says bluntly. “You can skate around these ideas, and you can be like, I was around, but did you really live it? You can talk about the things that me and my friends actually did on a daily basis and make caricatures about what our experience was and is. But at the end of the day, it’s just a caricature.”

Jean-Christopher wears Academy by Chris Echevarria Airport Fleece, Away Game Hoodie, Stash Short in camo, Ellis Penny Loafer in chocolate, Vibram 1757 Lug Sole. Hella wears Academy by Chris Echevarria Stash Pant in navy, Safari Jacket in navy, Kiltie Loafer exclusively for Academy in midnight.

That caricature he speaks about is typified by celebrity and brand lookbooks and IG culture that has come to dominate fashion, specifically menswear: the carefully curated props (cigars, half-eaten plates of pasta), allusions to old episodes of “Seinfeld” and any other ephemera that signal “New York” or “Black.” How does one define what is real? Who is the arbiter of truth? In some cases, it’s just a feeling. You see something and know that it came from a place of lived-in experience. The reality of Academy is that it comes from a Black kid from New Jersey and is informed by that life. It’s not a trend or a put-on.

What Echevarria hopes to do is speak to the diversity of not just his experience but the experience of straddling lines and living in multiple worlds as a Black man in America.

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“I’ve done everything from live in the suburbs to live in an apartment with my mother and my grandmother to having cousins that lived in the projects and visiting them and sometimes even living with them,” he says. “I understand how all of these different strata exist within this world, and I understand how fashion is a form of expression through all of those strata. Especially as a person of color.”

As a biracial person myself, this hits home for me. It goes back to that first question. Whose American tradition are we pointing to? Whose story is this?

“What ends up happening as a person of color is that you kind of have to use these signals [of style and fashion], through the things that you decide to wear, through the way that you decide to present yourself — to show the other people in the room that you belong. And that is a unique experience to any person of color that grew up in America.”

By recontextualizing prep, Academy shows that “tradition” doesn’t have to mean exclusion. And that in an industry dominated by white people, a Black designer can thrive and make clothes that make “tradition” feel intensely personal. A blazer or a pair of loafers that can build a legacy.

Production Craft Alan, Jared Craft, Bella Lopez Models Jean-Christopher Celestin, Hella Tall Grooming Jennifer Gonzalez Photo Assistant Josua Jiminez

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Dave Schilling is a contributing writer for Image. He regularly covers style trends and culture in Los Angeles and has written sharp, witty and hilarious criticism about the joys and peculiarities of fashion in Southern California, including an ode to exposed chest hair; an essay on the beauty of cis straight men in skirts; and a feature on how skinny jeans factor into the gentrification of Northeast L.A. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Guardian, New York Magazine and GQ.

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From 'The Bikeriders' to 'The Instigators,' 15 movies you need to stream right now

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After you hit up the back-to-school sales with your kids, why not head home for a trip through the Wasteland with Furiosa?

George Miller's latest "Mad Max" vehicle leads a noteworthy pack of new movies on Netflix, Peacock, Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+ and Paramount+. August is packed with streaming options for film lovers of all tastes, from action comedies to all-star heist movies. There are recent theatrical releases, like Sydney Sweeney's holy horror flick and a Tom Hardy/Austin Butler biker gang drama , but also original flicks such as a superspy rom-com with Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg.

Here are 15 notable new movies you can stream right now:

In the over-the-top horror comedy, Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens star as members of a motley kidnapping crew hired to watch over a ballerina girl (Alisha Weir). She's revealed to be – uh-oh! – a vicious vampire who turns the tables on her captors in a blood-soaked tale that's much twistier than it seems.

Where to watch: Peacock

'The Bikeriders'

Jeff Nichols' gripping crime drama centers on a motorcycle club of Midwestern outsiders whose dealings turn criminal when they invite new blood into the group. Austin Butler is the wild-at-heart troublemaker, Jodie Comer is his worried girlfriend, but Tom Hardy shines as the bikers' mercurial, Brando-esque leader.

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'

The busy backstory of Charlize Theron’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” heroine, now played by  Anya Taylor-Joy , gets told in this explosive, world-building epic. A charismatically evil  Chris Hemsworth  is a highlight in this adrenalized revenge thriller full of post-apocalyptic hot rods, gorgeous demolition-derby carnage and demented confidence.

Where to watch: Max

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'

More nostalgic than coherent, the latest "Ghostbusters" installment features a massive cast and throwbacks galore. Mckenna Grace leads the newer heroes and Bill Murray heads up the old crew against the new big bad Garraka, a horned phantom who represents a chilly existential threat to New York City (and pretty much all mankind).

Where to watch: Netflix

'Immaculate'

"The First Omen" isn't the only option for nun horror in 2024. Sydney Sweeney stars in this unholy chiller as a young American novice who joins an Italian convent and navigates increasingly unnerving episodes, including finding out she's pregnant. (Fun fact: She's a virgin!) Things just get worse from there, all leading to a bleakly bonkers climax.

Where to watch: Hulu

'The Instigators'

The heist comedy features Matt Damon as a desperate father and Casey Affleck as a snarky ex-con partnered up for a robbery that gets bungled , leading to cops and crooks alike coming after them. It's got issues but not in the supporting cast, led by Hong Chau as the very understanding therapist of Damon's on-the-lam dad.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

There's a fun dystopian Looney Tunes quality to Paul Feig's action comedy, which imagines a future LA where lottery winners have to stay alive till sundown to keep their cash. Awkwafina plays a struggling actress with her life on the line, and John Cena is in earnest goofball mode as the protection agent hired to keep her safe.

Where to watch: Prime Video

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'

Will humans and simians ever get along? That existential question is revisited in the latest "Planet of the Apes" adventure, a sprawling coming-of-age sci-fi tale that follows young chimp Noa (Owen Teague) on a quest to save his friends and family who partners with a mysterious girl named Mae (Freya Allan).

'Knox Goes Away'

Michael Keaton directs and stars in the nifty crime thriller as a hitman diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a fast-acting and fatal form of dementia. He's determined to use his final days to help out his estranged son (James Marsden), though the cops are also in hot pursuit after a botched job.

'La Chimera'

Josh O'Connor, one of the best things about the aces tennis flick " Challengers ," is also superb in this Italian dramedy. He plays a British tomb raider who gets out of jail and travels to Italy to meet up with friends, find love and plunder some stolen artifacts in a narrative that turns into quite the emotional cautionary tale.

'Love Lies Bleeding'

Romance sparks between pumped-up Midwestern bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian) and introverted gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart), but that's also when murderous trouble arises in director Rose Glass'  sultry and sweaty neo-noir thriller . If it's not too early to start talking Oscar nods, O'Brian is phenomenal in a star-making turn.

The moving period biopic tells the story of London broker Nicholas Winton, who saved hundreds of Jewish children in Prague with Nazi forces on the march in 1938. Johnny Flynn plays Winton as a young man racing to help the kids while Anthony Hopkins is the older Nicholas recalling his humanitarian efforts and wishing he could have done more.

Where to watch: Paramount+

OK, it's not the greatest, but kids wanting to dip their toes into horror could do worse. On-the-rise youngsters like Avantika ("Mean Girls") and Jacob Batalon ("Spider-Man: Homecoming") star in the PG-13 film about college pals who use a cursed deck of tarot cards and discover their eerie readings are coming to bizarre and fatal fruition.

'The Union'

A New Jersey construction worker (Mark Wahlberg) runs into his high school sweetheart (Halle Berry) in a bar. He thinks she wants to get back together, but instead, she's now a superspy who recruits him for a dangerous mission to retrieve a stolen list of secret agents. Cue the rom-com shenanigans, globetrotting action and A-list flirting.

'Young Woman and the Sea'

Like "Nyad," but better and way more rousing. "Star Wars" alum Daisy Ridley is hugely engaging in this extremely Disney-fied biopic as pioneering athlete Trudy Ederle, who conquered Olympic disappointment, misogyny and jellyfish to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926.

Where to watch: Disney+

He Still Thought He Could Win: Inside Biden’s Decision to Drop Out

People close to President Biden say he believes he could have won a second term. But he came to realize that the fight would rip apart the Democratic Party that he had served his whole life.

President Biden exited the 2024 race on a weekend in late July, keeping his deliberations within a tight circle. Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times

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By Michael D. Shear Katie Rogers and Adam Entous

Reporting from Washington

• Aug. 15, 2024

In the end, he was alone.

Confined to a spare bedroom in his vacation home and fighting off bouts of coughing from Covid, President Biden was exhausted when he turned in for the night on Saturday, July 20. Whether he slept soundly or fitfully or not at all, people close to him said he took the long hours by himself to mull over the historic decision he was about to make.

He had just been through a brutal two days in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as he huddled with his wife, Jill Biden, and his closest aides, who rotated from a screened-in porch to a sitting area off the dining room.

Steve Ricchetti, the president’s eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, and Mike Donilon, his chief strategist, had shared internal polling with the president that Saturday that mirrored what Americans had been seeing for weeks: Mr. Biden was falling behind, nationally and in key battleground states.

There was still a path to victory, they advised him, but the fight would be ugly. The president would be pitted against his donors, half of his party in Congress and Democratic voters who had concluded that he was too old to win.

For more than three weeks, Mr. Biden had insisted he would stay in the race. Only the “ Lord Almighty ,” he said, could get him to drop out.

But by that Saturday evening, something had shifted.

It was not just about the polls, people close to Mr. Biden say. Despite everything, Mr. Biden believed he could still claim the Democratic nomination and beat former President Donald J. Trump. Aides say that he still believes that.

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