In the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton...

Question

What's Ponyboy's plan for sharing his wisdom with others? Think of what he ends up doing for his English assignment and how this is a reflection of his transformation.

Answer 1

Hi Kristina!

Ponyboy's decision to share his experiences via his essay comes as a sort of closure for the events he experienced. I don't think that he is "sharing his wisdom" in the sense that he feels like he needs to "teach" people about what path they need to take, but is a bit more modest in presenting his ideals. What I mean to say is that the essay functions as a means for self reflection and self discovery.

It does this by driving at the tension between innocence and cynicism, the need for forgiveness in the face of institutionalized and ingrained hate, and ultimately finding peace with yourself, all themes that are explored by the book leading up to this point. It is by proxy that Ponyboy's essay might change the worldview of his teacher and his classmates, and by extension the reader themselves, in his pursuit of a more compassionate and understanding outlook on humanity. In short, he is attempting to "stay gold".

Hope this helps!