The Outsiders was a very exciting and interesting book. It really showed a perfect example of a boy trying to grow up while dealing with so many hardships. I have learned a lot about growing up from reading the book The Outsiders. Things like how everybody needs a role model in life, how you shouldn't fall for peer pressure, and how friends can be just as important as family.
One way this book deals with coming of age is how Ponyboy faces conflicts that all kids face as they grow up. For example, Ponyboy dealt with peer pressure and crime. Almost all of Ponyboy's friends have been involved with crimes, things like shoplifting or carrying around knifes. Ponyboy could have easily been one of those boys and could have easily went to jail. But he didn't because he didn't fall for peer pressure. He knew what was right and wrong.
Another lesson I learned from reading The Outsiders is that, everybody needs a role model in their life. Someone to tell you right from wrong, someone who you could look up to for advice or to learn something. Since Ponyboy's parents died in a car crash he was stuck with his brothers. But his brothers stepped up and was his role model. His older brother was strict on him. One time in the book Ponyboy came home late and his brother was all over him asking questions about why he was home so late. Even though Ponyboy didn't realize it, his brother was sticking up for him. He didn't want Ponyboy to end up like a know body. If Ponyboy hadn't had anybody to tell him right from wrong than maybe he would have been like Two-Bit, shoplifting for the fun of it.
The last lesson I learned is that friends can be just as important as family. A lot of the Greasers have abusive parents or no parents at all, like Ponyboy. But they have each other and thats all that matters to them. They are each others family. They do everything together and they stick up for each other. They are friends who go to each other if they have problems or something on their mind. They are always there for each other. If it wasn't for friends than Ponyboy and his friends could be kids who become major criminals and live a bad life.
The Outsiders is one of my favorite books and its not hard to tell why. Its a great coming of age novel and it deals with all the problems kids face as they grow up like peer pressure and being exposed to things like crime. This book teaches valuable lessons like, everybody needs a role model in their life. The Outsiders shows how friends aren't just people you hang out with but like family. The Outsiders is truely a classic.
