Ponyboy Character Analysis
Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest member of the greasers, narrates the book. Though only fourteen years old, he understands the way his social group functions and the role each group member plays. Ponyboy theorizes on the motivations and personalities of his friends and describes events in a youthful voice.
To start, Ponyboy dislikes the Socs, a group that the greasers are against. Ponyboy is young enough to change his opinion about people however, and over the course of the book he realizes that Socs have problems just as greasers do. He also comes to see that Socs are even similar to the greasers in some ways.
Secondly, Pony becomes friends with Cherry Valence, one of the Socs' girls, when he stands up for her against Dally's rude behavior. Through her, he realizes that not all of the Socs are alike; for she is a nice, kind, understanding girl. He discovers that she is a dreamer and enjoys watching sunsets, just like him. As a result, Pony feels close to her and tells her things he does not tell anyone else. He talks to her about how nervous Johnny has been since he was beaten up by the Socs. He even realizes from his conversation with Cherry that the Socs also have problems in spite of their money, nice clothes, and fancy cars. Then when he gets to know Randy Adderson, one of the Socs, he realizes that "Socs were just guys after all."
Finally, at the end of the book, Pony has emerged from his journey of self- discovery as a much better person. He no longer pities himself or has a weight on his shoulder; instead, he looks into the future, knowing that he can rise above gang life and poverty and do something good in this world.
