Banned Books Week essay

Banned Books Week essay 

Brotherhood: One Necessity of Man's Survival

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is banned for the violence portrayed by young boys and the places they go. However, The Outsiders should be defended because this novel has more family values than violence. In The Outsiders a group of boys battle it out violently, yet within this group is where the family values are portrayed. The values portrayed in the groups are love between brothers and friends, protection of family, and loyalty for one another in the brotherhood.

There are two groups in The Outsiders; Socs and Greasers. The Greasers are the main group in the novel and they protect one another like they are brothers. The reader could call this group a brotherhood. In Chapter 1, Ponyboy, a member of the Greasers, is at the park and he comes across members of the Socs group. The Socs are a horde of rich kids that enjoys brawling with Greasers. Since Ponyboy is now out numbered, the Socs quickly restrain him on the ground and threaten to cut his hair with a knife. All of a sudden, Ponyboy hears footsteps running towards him and the Socs run away. Darry, Ponyboy’s brother and a member of the Greasers, scares the Socs away and helps his little brother up. The first thing Darry asks Ponyboy is, “ They didn’t hurt you too bad, did they?” The reader can sense the love that Darry has for Ponyboy. And not only did Darry come running, but the whole Greaser horde came to his aid. 

Protection of family and others is also shown in The Outsiders. In Chapter 4 of the novel, Johnny protects Ponyboy when they approach Socs at the park at 2:30 in the morning. The Socs approach them this time because earlier Ponyboy and Johnny picked up some Socs girls and took them home. When the Socs near Johnny and Ponyboy, words are exchanged and Ponyboy (out of anger) spits at the Socs. One of the Socs grabs Ponyboy and shoves his head under the water of the park fountain. He can tell he is drowning and blacks out. When Ponyboy regains consciousness, the Socs have all ran away except for one who was lying beside him on the ground with blood all over him. Johnny tells Ponyboy that he stabbed him to death because he almost killed his friend. Johnny’s reaction, though a little harsh, shows how much love he has for Ponyboy and how Johnny wants to protect Ponyboy at all costs.

In Chapters 5-6 loyalty is shown by Dallas, also a member of the Greasers and brother of Ponyboy.  When Dallas goes to Windiriksville, the place where Johnny and Ponyboy run off to after Johnny committed murder, to check on Johnny and Ponyboy, it shows how he will not forget about his brothers and how he will always stick with them until the end. Dallas goes there and takes Johnny and Ponyboy to eat and tries to make them feel safe. This type of loyalty is key to how the Greaser brotherhood stays strong.

Throughout The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton portrays the Greasers as having love for one another, protective instincts for the brotherhood, and loyalty between each other. A brotherhood is only as strong as the relationship between brothers within it.