The world is divided into two types of people, namely the readers and the watchers. Both groups of people have their perceptions which is why numerous novels are written and many of them are adapted into movies to fulfill the desires of both groups. The first novel in the world was the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, which describes 11th-century Japan. Today, we are talking about novels. Have you read the Outsiders? Do you know, why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden? Who won the Rumble in the outsiders? How did Ponyboy react to that hatred? Let’s find out!
1. Who were the Outsiders?
It is one of the coming-of-age novels written by Susan Eloise Hinton, and it was published in 1967 by the Viking Press. The book shows the journey of the moral growth of the two groups of kids. Both groups have rivalry due to their socioeconomic status. The working class was termed as greasers and the upper class was called Socs. The story is written from the perspective of Ponyboy Curtis, a teenage protagonist. So, why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden? In the upcoming segments, you will see the explanation that leads to a huge fight between them. (See Summary of Sleeping Beauty Story Book)
2. Who were the Main Characters?
Before moving ahead to know- why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden, look at these characters. The characters of the story are divided into two groups, including a number of characters and some more general characters.
Greasers:
- Ponyboy Curtis is the narrator and youngest among the Curtis brothers. He is 14 years old, good at studies, enjoys reading books, and runs a truck. He is the most sensitive one.
- Curly Shepard is mentioned as one of their friends of Ponyboy. He is the younger brother of Tim Shepard.
- Dallas Winston or Dally is the rebel among the greasers but cares about Johnny more than anyone can. He lived on the streets in New York City and had an unloaded gun always with him.
- Darrel Curtis or Darry is the oldest Curtis brother and is 20 years old. He takes care of his brothers after their parents died. He is also considered an unofficial leader of the Curtis brother gang.
- Johnny Cade is his best friend of Ponyboy. He is also 16 years old and lives with his abusive, neglectful, and alcoholic parents.
- Keith Matthews or Two-Bit is a wise person but a kleptomaniac (a person who unintentionally steals things)
- Sandy is the disloyal girlfriend of Sodapop Curtis as she eventually left him.
- Sodapop Curtis or Soda is 16 years old and the middle brother in the Curtis family. He is a high school dropout who works in a gas station and is famous for his good looks and comedic personality.
- Steve Randall is the best friend of Sodapop Curtis since their grade school days.
- Timothy Shepard or Tim is a friend of Dally and the leader of one of the greaser groups in the town. He is an organized person.
Socs:
- David is one of the members of the Socs who eventually tried to drown Ponyboy in the fountain.
- Marcia is the best friend of Cherry and girlfriend, Randy.
- Paul Holden is one of their old friends of Darry from high school. It would be interesting to know why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden after knowing that they were once friends.
- Randy Adderson is his best friend of Bob and boyfriend of Marcia.
- Robert Sheldon or Bob is considered the leader of the Socs.
- Sherri Valance or Cherry is the girlfriend of Bob who attends the same school as Ponyboy.
Other Characters:
- Jerry Wood is the school teacher for the abandoned children of the church.
- Mr. Syme is his English teacher of Ponyboy. The story of the novel is the result of the assignment given by him to Ponyboy.
3. Were Paul Holden and Darry Curtis familiar with Each Other?
Yes. They both studied together in high school and were friends at that time. They both were football buddies in school days. When both the gangs decided to end this rivalry with one final rumble, Paul Holden took the side of the Socs. (See How many Harry Potter books are there?)
4. Why did Darry feel Hatred for Paul Holden?
Darry is the eldest Curtis brother and a greaser whereas Paul Holden is a Soc. Despite their friendship, Paul now feels hatred and pity toward Darry, which is unacceptable to Darry. However, this is not the only reason that he feels hatred towards Paul because Darry is jealous of the opportunities that Paul has in life like going to college whereas he has to support his brothers. Moreover, now Darry is more or less ashamed to represent the greasers. Must read Why is it Called Lamb to the Slaughter?
5. Why was the Rumble Arranged?
Ever since Johnny from the greasers killed Bob of the socs gang things escalated between the two gangs. It became unsafe for greasers to even roam the city without a weapon. To make things and life easier, it was decided to hold a rumble between the greasers and the socs. Paul Holden was representing the Socs, while Darry represented the greasers. (See What is the Setting of the Gift of the Magi?)
6. Who Won the Rumble in the Outsiders?
Get to know what happened after the rumble after knowing, why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden. The rumble started with the punch thrown by Paul Holden when Darry was looking in another direction. The fight continued for several hours, after which the greasers ultimately won the rumble. (Se How this Book was Made?)
7. What happened after the Rumble?
As soon as the rumble ended and the greasers were declared the winners, Dallas Winston or Dally took Ponyboy to the hospital to see Johnny. He was admitted to the hospital after the church roof collapsed on him in a fire and his back broke in that accident. This happened after Johnny and Ponyboy took shelter in the Church after Johnny accidentally killed Bob. On their way to the hospital, Dally advised Ponyboy to wise up now and become tough like him because this is the only way to prevent himself from getting hurt in the future. (See Pinocchio Story Summary)
8. How did Ponyboy React to that Hatred?
After the rumble and the death of Johnny, it was difficult for Ponyboy to get into his routine life and his grades continued to deteriorate. His English teacher told him to write a theme for a story after which he would pass the exams. Ponyboy decided to write down the recent incidents that happened in his life as he was aware of why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden in the first place. In the story, he mentioned his feelings towards the hatred between Darry and Paul. He felt that hatred was stupid. People should not hate each other because of their financial status. (See Why did Dumbledore have to Die in Harry Potter?)
9. What was the Theme of The Outsiders?
There are various themes in The Outsiders. Some of them are group identity vs individual identity, class and society, love and loyalty, and education as well.
The story revolves around the gang enmity of greasers and socs as they come from socially different backgrounds. Few of them knew each other from their school days but then also this difference in their social status hinders their relationship and made them take sides. The name of the story, The Outsiders, also describes the feelings of the kids who feel like they are outsiders in this society that is only meant for the rich.
So, today you learned the reason, why did Darry feel hatred for Paul Holden. And, the greasers were the ones who won the Rumble in the outsiders. By the way, did you remember reading, how did Ponyboy react to that hatred? (See What is the Theme of The Masque of the Red Death?)
