The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a great example of the theme “Code of the Streets”. This book is about two groups of teenagers from different parts of a city. The Greasers were from the poorer community and the Socs, were from a richer community. The two groups were constantly at war with one another through bullying and fighting. The main character, Ponyboy, is raised by his older brothers and they are a part of the Greasers. They are constantly pushing him to do well in school and not be subjected to the life they live and the violence that is constantly going on around him. As a result, Ponyboy has good grades in school.
As the book progresses, Ponyboy is directly exposed to violence and death around him. It took a toll on him and his attitude towards life and school. His grades dropped drastically and he ended up failing a class. The teacher gave him the opportunity to change his grade and he wrote about what he has been through over the past few months. He wanted to show people what his life was like and also have it as a resource for people that have been though the experiences he has.
This book plays “Devil’s Advocate” to the view that communities where violence is high, there will also be higher rates of school violence. Ponyboy could have easily taken his anger out physically when he returned to school to mirror what he had been through in the street. Although his grades did drop from what they once were, he did not bring violence into the classroom. Instead he chose to write about his experiences to influences other students to choose a better path than violence. At the end of the day, once given the resources to be different from the environment a student is used to it is his or her choice to want to do better and not engage in school violence.
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