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Once again as I noted it is there, but does not follow the story nearly as closely.
Well, yeah. It's not a a retelling. But it shares a lot of the same themes and aspects.
Would Pony Boy and Cherry(?) have been able to be friends at the least, if they weren't in rival groups? Compare to Maria and Tony and Romeo and Juliet.
That's an interesting question. In the story, the gang rivalry is presented as the main factor preventing a relationship. But maybe the fact that they have been accustomed to their respective gangs implies that their personalities were always destined to crash. In other words, maybe the fact that their gangs disagree speaks for how they would view each-other given time.
It's been a long time since I read the book, but wasn't there something at the end where Pony Boy asked Cherry if she could see the moon (sun? something) well from her side of town and she said yes and he said that he could see it from his side too? Sorry, it's really been a while but obviously, this book and the movie stayed with me.
Yeah, I don't really remember either. But that sounds plausible. I think it really depends on the people.
I think life always depends on the people! I'll have to read it again.
No I would not agree that Outsiders and West Side Story (or modern Romeo and Juliet) are not more similar than most. Though that might be down to interpretation. Both have two rival gangs? Yeah, so? That's called having protagonists and antagonists in your story.
Although both contain elements of questioning your identity, coming of age and friendship, both are still different.
The rival gangs in WSS are just that... rival gangs. They fight for control and territory and pride. They are both somewhat seen as trouble by the outside community.
The rival gangs in the Outsiders fight because that's just what society expects of them. They represent class struggle and old prejudices.
The gangs in WSS represent blind hate and prejudice. Formed probably because of racism, although I might be remembering that wrong.
The gangs in The Outsiders represent the views, prejudices and expected future roles for them chosen by the adults around them. Mainly based on class warfare. Socs are the rich elite and Greasers are the poor kids.
The Socs or at least the act they put on for the community are what parents actively want their kids to be. They are the paragon of delightful youth. The standard by which all other youths are measured. They are, for all the parents know, perfect healthy citizens. They represent a parent's blissful ignorance and naivety when it comes to youth. And even neglect. Society expects them to grow up and become Senators or Lawyers and have expensive lives full of jet setting and spending it up.
Whereas Greasers are what every parent actively fears, though those fears are based on misconception and judging by a cover. They represent the antagonistic disconnect between parent and teenager. They represent danger and crime, dirt and even poverty. They represent a parent's confusion of teenage rebellion.
Society expects them to grow up in jail or end up dead in a fight. Ponyboy ends up being ultimately lucky in his courtroom proceedings largely due to sympathy. The adults feel a little uncomfortable at the events perhaps even a little guilty for somewhat turning a blind eye to it. And so he is kind of let off the hook. You could argue this happens also happens to show Ponyboy (and the audience) that his views of adults are just as skewed as his views towards the Socs at the beginning.
In WSS the anger is largely insipid and pointless. No one outside seems to fuel it, but they don't discourage it either. Whilst the hate in the Outsiders is rather blind, it is perpetuated, albeit unknowingly, by the society around them. The story also focuses more about finding your own path, identity and opinions, rather than have it dictated to you by society or even your friends/family. In WSS the moral is literally "blind hate for any reason is pretty asinine and can lead you down a path filled with needless destruction."
Granted that moral is also found in The Outsiders, but I digress.
(Sorry for the essay.)
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Papaphilly
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Sep 28, 2014 02:03PM
Once again as I noted it is there, but does not follow the story nearly as closely.
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Well, yeah. It's not a a retelling. But it shares a lot of the same themes and aspects.
Would Pony Boy and Cherry(?) have been able to be friends at the least, if they weren't in rival groups? Compare to Maria and Tony and Romeo and Juliet.
That's an interesting question. In the story, the gang rivalry is presented as the main factor preventing a relationship. But maybe the fact that they have been accustomed to their respective gangs implies that their personalities were always destined to crash. In other words, maybe the fact that their gangs disagree speaks for how they would view each-other given time.
It's been a long time since I read the book, but wasn't there something at the end where Pony Boy asked Cherry if she could see the moon (sun? something) well from her side of town and she said yes and he said that he could see it from his side too? Sorry, it's really been a while but obviously, this book and the movie stayed with me.
Yeah, I don't really remember either. But that sounds plausible. I think it really depends on the people.
I think life always depends on the people! I'll have to read it again.
No I would not agree that Outsiders and West Side Story (or modern Romeo and Juliet) are not more similar than most. Though that might be down to interpretation. Both have two rival gangs? Yeah, so? That's called having protagonists and antagonists in your story.Although both contain elements of questioning your identity, coming of age and friendship, both are still different.
The rival gangs in WSS are just that... rival gangs. They fight for control and territory and pride. They are both somewhat seen as trouble by the outside community.
The rival gangs in the Outsiders fight because that's just what society expects of them. They represent class struggle and old prejudices.
The gangs in WSS represent blind hate and prejudice. Formed probably because of racism, although I might be remembering that wrong.
The gangs in The Outsiders represent the views, prejudices and expected future roles for them chosen by the adults around them. Mainly based on class warfare. Socs are the rich elite and Greasers are the poor kids.
The Socs or at least the act they put on for the community are what parents actively want their kids to be. They are the paragon of delightful youth. The standard by which all other youths are measured. They are, for all the parents know, perfect healthy citizens. They represent a parent's blissful ignorance and naivety when it comes to youth. And even neglect. Society expects them to grow up and become Senators or Lawyers and have expensive lives full of jet setting and spending it up.
Whereas Greasers are what every parent actively fears, though those fears are based on misconception and judging by a cover. They represent the antagonistic disconnect between parent and teenager. They represent danger and crime, dirt and even poverty. They represent a parent's confusion of teenage rebellion.
Society expects them to grow up in jail or end up dead in a fight. Ponyboy ends up being ultimately lucky in his courtroom proceedings largely due to sympathy. The adults feel a little uncomfortable at the events perhaps even a little guilty for somewhat turning a blind eye to it. And so he is kind of let off the hook. You could argue this happens also happens to show Ponyboy (and the audience) that his views of adults are just as skewed as his views towards the Socs at the beginning.
In WSS the anger is largely insipid and pointless. No one outside seems to fuel it, but they don't discourage it either. Whilst the hate in the Outsiders is rather blind, it is perpetuated, albeit unknowingly, by the society around them. The story also focuses more about finding your own path, identity and opinions, rather than have it dictated to you by society or even your friends/family. In WSS the moral is literally "blind hate for any reason is pretty asinine and can lead you down a path filled with needless destruction."
Granted that moral is also found in The Outsiders, but I digress.
(Sorry for the essay.)
