"The Outsiders"

If your parents died when you were a child do you think that you could recover? Then you find out that your brothers have dropped out of school. The book “The Outsiders” is a great story that explains the importance of family and if you lose the support of your parents it will be a long road to recovery.

In the story the outsiders the three brothers Ponyboy, Soda pop, and Darry lost their parents in a terrible car accident at a very young age. They go through many struggles and join a gang. Soda pop and Darry both dropped out of school but pressure Ponyboy to stay in school. If their parents were alive all three of them would not be in a gang and would be in school. In the story it says that Ponyboy smokes a lot. If he had real parents, not his older brother Darry, he would not have even thought to start smoking. The story also has parents who don’t care at all about their child along with dead parents.

Johnny who is Ponyboy’s best friend also struggles with family. His parents beat him and don’t care at all about him. He frequently comes to Ponyboys house and is found sleeping on their couch. If Johnny’s parents cared about him he would be in school and also not in the gang. If he would be in school he would have a better future and not ending up killing a soc. In the story another greaser struggles with his family.

Dally’s parents also abuse him. At the age of eight he ran away from his home because he did not like his parents. To make it worse his parents did not care at all. He also joined the gang and is often found in Ponyboys house as well. If his parents cared about him he would have a better life than running around town and trying to find a home to sleep in. He would not have to worry about if Ponyboy’s family was home so that he could sleep there.

The story “The Glass Castel” by Jeannette Walls also talks about the importance of family like “The Outsiders”. The main character Jeannette writes about her family and their adventures. Her family is very poor and her parents are constantly spending their last bit of money on alcohol. Her mother never goes out of her house and was once found eating a chocolate bar when her family was starving. If Jeannette had a stabile family she would not have to worry constantly about if she would be able to eat that night. They constantly move around the city and try to fit in. She could have lived a much better life if she had parents who cared about them.

The story “The Outsiders” was a great story that explains when you have dead parents, abusive families, or parents who don’t care about you that your whole life will be changed entirely. Even though most people in the world have stable families we need to be very thankful for what we have and not take it for granted. If all of these kids had parents none of them would be in a gang. They would all be in school and not constantly getting in trouble, all of them need family.