You'll Always Have Family

Author’s Note: This is an essay of the definition of family. Do you have to be blood related to be family? I don’t think so. It shows how the story The Outsiders is involved with family.


Did you grow up in a happy family life, with people who love you more than anything in the world? I know I did, I am thirteen years old and have a loving family. With all families, we have our fight however we get over them. Family is such a huge part of my life. If I ever have a problem, I need to talk to my mom or if I have a question I ask my dad. If anything ever happened to my family I would be devastated forever and would not know what to do. Even though I love my blood related family, I would never give up my family of friends. However not everybody has a great family life. One of the main themes in the story The Outsider by S.E. Hinton is definition of family. In the story The Outsider the characters learn that even though they are not related by blood, they can still be a family that helps each other through thick and thin.

The Curtis brothers are a united family but they are missing the loving parents that they had before the car accident. Ponyboy, Sodapop and Dally’s parents died in a car crash when they were young. Being the oldest Darry stepped in as the father figure. Darry quit school and got two jobs to support the family. It would be like your older brother taking care of you. You would feel weird with him telling you what to do; it would be very different. It shows in the story that Ponyboy doesn’t always like it, because Ponyboy and Darry don’t always get along the best. Just like every other family they fight through their problems. Even though the boys love each other very much they will do anything for the greaser’s gang as well. The boys learned over this period of time that not only do they need to appreciate what they have, but love every minute with your family.

Ponyboy, Sodapop and Dally aren’t the only ones with a family that is not completely perfect; Johnny has a hard family life too. Some people may believe Johnny’s life is normal but they are anything but normal. He lives with his parents but his dad beats and yells at him and his mother. It would be hard living in a house without a loving family or someone to ask “How was your day?” In the story Johnny says, “I actually kind of like it when my dad beats me because at least he knows I’m here”. That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard! Can you imagine that, actually being happy getting beaten. Just so Johnny knows that his dad sees him standing there. Because he has never had supportive parents he is a different person. Johnny is more reserved and keeps more to himself now because he never had anyone to talk to about his problems.

Johnny, Sodapop, Ponyboy and all of the other boys in the greaser gang are each other’s family. If they need to get away they just walk in to each other’s house. They tell each other everything. If they need anything, they just go to each other. They truly are “non-blood related family”. During the story Johnny was having a tough time at his house so he leaves and sleeps at Sodapop, Ponyboy, and Darry’s house. Another example of the boys being family is when Dally was in trouble right before he died; he called Darry to tell him everything. Hearing all of this makes you grateful for what you have. I am so grateful for having a loving family.

In conclusion family doesn’t have to be blood related. I love my friends and I consider them my family. Some of my friends I am closer to than my cousins. I love my blood related family but my friends are my family too. In The Outsiders, The Greasers have broken families. The greasers are each other’s family even if they are not blood related. Johnny, SOdapop, Two Bit, and the rest of the guys are ever so close. They will never fail each other. This proves that you do not need to be related by genes to be family.

Nothing Gold Can Stay Forever

Author’s Note: This is a piece about the theme loss of innocence. I am writing about why it relates to this theme. It tells you about a poem written by Robert Frost. It shows you what this poem means and explains thing that people might not have noticed about the book The Outsiders.


“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold” was Johnny Cade’s final words to Ponyboy before he passed on, in the book The Outsiders. Johnny is referring to the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. Ponyboy taught this poem to Johnny before he had died, but Johnny was the one that ended up giving Ponyboy advice using this poem.

“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay.”

This poem shows us the theme, loss of innocence. Johnny told Ponyboy to “Stay gold”. He is referring to this poem as he states that. This shows loss of innocence because he is practically saying don’t turn bad and always stay pure. The “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold” means when you are born you are innocent and pure. But as you grow you become less and less innocent. “Her early leaf a flower, but only so an hour” is saying that when your little you are innocent but that chances rapidly. “Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down today” explains that not everything good stays and that Eden became sorrow. Finally “Nothing gold can stay” Nothing pure can stay and as you grow you become lass innocent. Johnny uses this line brilliantly by telling Ponyboy to stay who he is and never change. He has to stay true and pure and don’t turn cold like Dally did and never lose your innocence.

I agree with Johnny’s remark completely, Ponyboy has to stay gold and never grow up. Johnny was my favorite character; he always had good points and always had a good attitude. Johnny is telling Ponyboy to never lose his innocence. Ponyboy has a little bit of a mind of a child still. He really has never grown out of it yet. You always just have to remember always “stay gold” and never change that.

Charlie Bohn

Hi I’m Charlie, Charlie Bohn. I have kind of long brown hair gelled back. I am seventeen and I’m a socs. I am not a very popular socs but at least I’m not a greaser. Boy do I have a story for you. Here goes nothing. I never talk about this, I get very emotional. This day had been an epoch in my life and that will never change.

I am walking in the park late at night and I hear screaming! I think to myself, who would be out this late at night and screaming. I walk cautiously looking for anybody. I have a great feeling that this is going to be an epoch in my life. My heart is pumping like a drum at a music concert. I turn the corner and see five socs and two greasers. The only one I’ve seen before is Bob. He is kind of the leader of the greasers. Then I noticed that the greasers looked very scared and they were the ones screaming. Except it wasn’t really screaming it was more like, yelling stop. I realized something was wrong.

All of a sudden Bob took one of the greasers head and started drowning them in a fountain behind them. I watched cautiously seeing if anyone else saw this. I looked for help for this boy. The other greaser is sitting there helpless. Then he grabbed something out of his pocket and stabbed Bob! Bob is lying there, I am afraid he is dead. I’m looking for anyone to help. The rest of the socs get scared and run away. Bob is laying there and the two greasers are talking. Nobody knows I saw this; I have to report this to the police.

I left when the two greasers were sitting there talking against the fountain. I went straight to the police. They went to the park after like five minutes of me sitting there, shaking. The police go to the park and all they see is Bob laying there, dead. The greasers no where in sight. The cops told me to go home and don’t worry about anything.

I follow the cop’s directions but all I can think about is bob lying there with a puddle of blood around him. I just can’t get this out of my mind. I am forever changed. Tp this day I have this picture in my head, of one of my old friends. A great guy that almost everyone loved.

I Am Truely Shocked

Have you ever read the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton? It doesn't seem like a great book at first, but it is! The Outsiders has shocked me. I have read a little over half of it and now I am kind of attached.The Outsiders has cliff hangers that just keep you so engaged in the book and you just can't put it down! The book also has drama and surprises that no one would think would happen. I mean Johnny killing someone? Just you wouldn't think that that would happen. Once you start reading you can't put it down. I am a head of the class with reading because of I can't put it down. So I have to remember to keep my mouth shut in class. I would recommend this book to everyone. I believe anyone can read this book and like it. It is short however very good. I really can't wait to read to see what end up happening to Johnny and Ponyboy. I am as busy as a bee with this book. My favorite character is Johnny because he is the most down to earth and he will do a lot for his friends. Also I feel bad for him because of his family life is so bad. I'm really happy that I have found a book that I really like. I really don't like reading most of the time, however when I find a good book. I love it; I have found that "wow" book. I am a great advocate of this book.