Nut

1103
8 January 2016
Distinctions Express Characters' Conformity in The Outsiders
One of the saddest moments in human life is that we have to change not for ourselves
but for someone else. Even though we are born in the same planet called Earth, we may be
distinguished to be in the different world which categorizes people in subgroup of a single
society like most of the teenagers in Thailand who use Apple mobile phone, iPhone. Anyone
who cannot buy this phone would be opposed to join the major society. Because of this, the
conformity has existed since we live in the first society in the world. This concept is
explicitly shown in The Outsiders composed by S.E.Hinton. The conformity is one of the
main ideas that the writer explains what the two different groups, the Greasers and the Socs,
play their roles. The author adopts three strategies, namely physical description, dialogue, and
object or possession, to clarify the distinctions between two groups.
In The Outsiders, Hinton reveals the conformity of each group by means of physical
description. In this novel, clothes the characters wear, shoes they have, or even their own
hairstyles illustrate how the two groups conform differently. For example, when the Socials
arrive at the rumble, they dress up in a similar way as mentioned in the book, They looked
like they were all cut from the same piece of cloth (Hinton p.141). Ponyboys thought
describes how the Socials conform to their dressing style. No matter what situations are, the
Socials need to have perfect look in both their hairstyles and their clothes. For instance, when
they are in the ferocious situation, the rumble, they have clean-shaven with semi-Beatle
haircuts, wearing kindred colour of clothes, putting jackets like madras ski jackets. Unlike the
Socials, the Greasers have their own styles of dressing when they take part in the rumble.
Moreover, the hairstyles of the two groups also expresses the difference between two groups:

the Greasers have a long hair, but the Socials keep their hair short. The Greasers maintain this
physical characteristic which expresses their conformity. As clearly shown in the novel,
Ponyboy does not want to cut his hair when Johnny will cut it in order to disguise themselves
after committing the crime. Hinton not only uses physical description to reveal the distinction
between the two groups but she also uses another way, thought , to discriminate the Socials
and the Greasers.
The use of characters thought to demonstrate the difference between two groups is
explicitly adopted throughout the novel. For instance, Cherry, a character from the Socials
side, does not want to talk with the Greasers because the Greasers are enemy of her and the
other Socials; therefore, she conforms to what other Socials behave. As mentioned in the
book, Cherry says that, if I see you in the hall at school or some place and dont say hi,
(Hinton p.45) According to this quotation, it can be said that if Cherry greets one of the
greasers like Ponyboy, she is considered to be different from other Socials so she decides to
conform like others by not talking with Ponyboy or other Greasers if unnecessary. In addition
to physical description and thought, the author uses another means to describe the difference
between two groups, which is the use of objects or possessions.
The use of objects or possessions to distinguish between the Socials and Greasers can
be seen in various chapters. For example, Ponyboy narrates that after being jumped up by
the Socials, Ponyboy comes back to his home and then Dallas gives him and Johnny
cigarettes in order to relieve their anxiety. Both of them smoke as mentioned in the
beginning of the story, Dallas lit a cigarette and handed it to Johnny. Everyone sat down to
have a smoke and relax. A smoke always lessens the tension. (Hinton p.12) According to this
quotation, it can be said that some of the greasers believe that smoking a cigarette can help
them relieve their concern. Ponyboy and Johnny conform to other Greasers convention as
depicted in this scene. In contrast, some of the Socials do not smoke. For example, when

Two-Bit offers some cigarettes to Cherry and Marcia, two girls from the Socials, they deny.
The Socials are likely to get drunk rather than smoke cigarettes.
In conclusion, it can be said that conformity is a part of humanity and it is penetrated
in human society for a long time. Hinton uses three strategies, namely physical appearance,
characters thought and the use of objects or possessions, to show the differences between the
two groups, Socials and Greasers. Physical description is used for showing how two groups
conform to their own characteristics of hairstyle and dressing. Since those Socs dislike the
Greasers, thought is adopted to show how they have to conform what others in their group
behave in order to not being different. Cherry decides not to talk with Ponyboy when she sees
him at the school hall. Moreover, objects shows how they conform to their belief. Ponyboy
conforms to other members of the Greasers by smoking a cigarette in order to relax. As
clearly shown in previous paragraphs, it can be concluded that conformity is an essential
value of society. That is, members of society try to conform to their conventional values
otherwise they will be considered as strange people. This makes some feel bitter because they
have to change themselves in a way that they are unsatisfied. The more one tries to impress
the society by changing oneself, the less of an individual one becomes.