Ponyboy's hair is a big part of his identity as a Greaser. Ponyboy also has a lot of personal pride in his hair. He thinks that he looks better with long hair, and it happens to be one of the first details about himself that he gives to readers.
My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a...
Ponyboy's hair is a big part of his identity as a Greaser. Ponyboy also has a lot of personal pride in his hair. He thinks that he looks better with long hair, and it happens to be one of the first details about himself that he gives to readers.
My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut. Besides, I look better with long hair.
Ponyboy's hair marks him as a Greaser, which Ponyboy is proud of. All of the Greasers are proud of their long, greased hair. That is why when the Socs threaten to cut hair, the threat is so worrisome. To a Greaser, having his hair cut would be the equivalent of having a body part cut off.
It was my pride. It was long and silky, just like Soda's, only a little redder. Our hair was tuff--- we didn't have to use much grease on it. Our hair labeled us greasers, too- -- it was our trademark. The one thing we were proud of. Maybe we couldn't have Corvairs or madras shirts, but we could have hair.
In chapter five, Ponyboy and Johnny are forced to cut their hair. The reality of the situation is that they are fugitives on the run, and they must cut and color their hair in order to change their appearance. But symbolically, the event marks the place in the story that Ponyboy begins to throw off aspects of being a Greaser. That is why the haircut is such a major step for Ponyboy. He is willingly casting off a part of himself. That transformation is carried through to the end of the story and culminates with Ponyboy being able to have a regular conversation with a Soc.
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