Wednesday, August 3, 2016

What does Cherry explain as the difference between the Socs and the Greasers in The Outsiders?

Cherry says Socs are different from Greasers because Socs don’t feel anything.

Pony explains that he is a Greaser, and that the two rival youth gangs in his community are the Greasers and the Socs.  He is afraid of the Socs, and they are the reason he usually never walks alone.  The Socs target Greasers.



We get jumped by the Socs. I'm not sure how you spell it, but it's the abbreviation for the Socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids. It's like the term "greaser," which is used to class all us boys on the East Side. (Ch. 1) 



The Greasers and the Socs fight, but they do not socialize.  This is because the differences in social class and the conflict between the two are just too strong.  Yet one day at the movies, Johnny and Pony meet a couple of Soc girls and strike up a conversation.  The girls do not like Dally, a rougher older gang member friend of theirs, but they like Johnny and Pony. 


Cherry and Pony seem to get along well and understand each other on a deep level.  It seems as if both of them do not quite fit into their gangs, and they think about things that others take for granted.  For example, Cherry explains to Pony what she considers the difference between Greasers and Socs. 



"It's not just money. Part of it is, but not all. You greasers have a different set of values. You're more emotional. We're sophisticated -- cool to the point of not feeling anything. Nothing is real with us. You know, sometimes I'll catch myself talking to a girl-friend, and realize I don't mean half of what I'm saying…” (Ch. 3) 



To Cherry, the Greasers are genuine, while Socs experience a lack of reality.  Socs do not live life as fully as the Greasers.  Greasers are able to care about things, and Socs live their lives full of privilege but numb, not really feeling.


Cherry explains to Pony that things are rough all over.  Everyone has problems, Greaser or Soc.  Pony realizes both he and Cherry see the same sunset, and this is a revelation to him.  He has a new understanding of the whole group, and an appreciation for Cherry’s insights into life.

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