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    Letter To S.E. Hinton

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    doironj
    The letter writer identifies strongly with the character of Darry from S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. As the oldest of three siblings who lost a parent, the writer understands Darry's struggle of taking on parental responsibilities at a young age. The writer also relates to Darry's frustration with his siblings and desire to guide them, as well as Darry's difficulty showing emotion after experiencing tragedy. A key interaction where Darry breaks down crying with Ponyboy helped the writer understand how to open up emotionally. The novel provided encouragement and insight that was meaningful to the writer.

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    Letter To S.E. Hinton

    Uploaded by

    doironj
    876 views3 pages
    The letter writer identifies strongly with the character of Darry from S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. As the oldest of three siblings who lost a parent, the writer understands Darry's struggle of taking on parental responsibilities at a young age. The writer also relates to Darry's frustration with his siblings and desire to guide them, as well as Darry's difficulty showing emotion after experiencing tragedy. A key interaction where Darry breaks down crying with Ponyboy helped the writer understand how to open up emotionally. The novel provided encouragement and insight that was meaningful to the writer.

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    Letter to S.E. Hinton

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    The letter writer identifies strongly with the character of Darry from S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. As the oldest of three siblings who lost a parent, the writer understands Darry's struggle of taking on parental responsibilities at a young age. The writer also relates to Darry's frustration with his siblings and desire to guide them, as well as Darry's difficulty showing emotion after experiencing tragedy. A key interaction where Darry breaks down crying with Ponyboy helped the writer understand how to open up emotionally. The novel provided encouragement and insight that was meaningful to the writer.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    876 views3 pages

    Letter To S.E. Hinton

    Uploaded by

    doironj
    The letter writer identifies strongly with the character of Darry from S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. As the oldest of three siblings who lost a parent, the writer understands Darry's struggle of taking on parental responsibilities at a young age. The writer also relates to Darry's frustration with his siblings and desire to guide them, as well as Darry's difficulty showing emotion after experiencing tragedy. A key interaction where Darry breaks down crying with Ponyboy helped the writer understand how to open up emotionally. The novel provided encouragement and insight that was meaningful to the writer.

    Copyright:

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    You are on page 1of 3

    Jesse Doiron Merrimack College N. Andover, MA 01845 May 30, 2012 Dear Ms.

    Hinton, Your novel, The Outsiders, quite accurately depicted the struggles which can be identified in the lives of many young adults today. In particular I was able to identify with your character Darry as he fights to raise his two brothers and bares the untimely responsibility of a parent upon his youthful shoulders. The plight of an orphan is often difficult to accurately demonstrate and I appreciate you dealing with such difficult subject matter. As the oldest child in a family who has lost a parent, I understand Darrys struggles as he attempted to steer his siblings through the difficulties in the world. The stress of ensuring they follow the right path is a lot for one person to bear, I appreciate you documenting Darrys struggles so I might reflect upon them and how they relate to my own life. However that is not the only aspect of your novel which resonated with me. The setting of the novel is a harsh environment unlike the one in which I live. The inability to walk through your neighborhood without the risk of getting jumped by an opposing gang is not a world which I have experienced living, but the tough environment mirrors Derrys tough emotions. Derry bears the responsibility of his two brothers and the environment in which they live makes that responsibility much greater. Derry has an immense love for his brothers but he struggles to show it. All of this responsibility can cause him to become short tempered with his brothers, which is demonstrated in the following interaction. Darry looked up from his paper. He was on his feet in a second. I stood there, chewing on my fingernail. Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is? He was madder than Id see him in a long time Frustration with siblings is something which I can relate to. As the oldest of three I often find myself wanting the best for my brother and sister and growing incredibly frustrated when they might wander away from the path which I consider to be best for them. It is nice to have a character such as Darry to identify with so that I do not feel alone in my struggles. I enjoy knowing that other youth experience the same trials as I do.

    Darrys interactions with his brothers, as well as with other characters throughout the novel, served as a source of enlightenment in my own life. It is understandable that Darry would become so emotionally unavailable after the tragic loss of both of his parents. His relationship with Soda-Pop gave us the ability to view how Darry once acted towards his siblings before the tragedy occurred. Darry still struggled to show love though, especially to Ponyboy, and that struggle is one which I also find myself identifying with. It can be difficult to expose something as fragile as an emotion to the world, especially after you have experienced such a terrible tragedy. One interaction between Darry and Ponyboy allowed me to better understand how to regain the ability to show love to those who I hold dearest. Darry I said, Im sorry He was stroking my hair and I could hear the sobs racking him as he fought to keep back the tears. Oh Pony, I thought wed lost youlike we did Mom and Dad This passage best demonstrates the deterioration of the emotional blockade Darry built towards the rest of his world. Reading this provided me with encouragement to dissolve the wall which I have built to those nearest me as I to struggle to maintain the relationships I have with those whom I love the most. Perhaps one of the novels greatest successes was the use of language which I can identify with. You worked really well to deliver a message using a language familiar with your target audience of adolescents. I appreciate being able to read a book which I can relate to both in experience and in language. The words you chose elevated Ponyboy beyond just the protagonist of a novel and made him feel like a dear friend. This also helped to develop the character of Ponyboy and helped you portray him as a greaser who is transitioning out of adolescence and into adulthood. The use of language strengthened your characters and in return strengthened your novels message and resonance to my own life. Your characters have become my friends and I am grateful to have gotten to know them. The overall message which I took away from the book is to not let the world jade you. Even though life can be tumultuous at times, always look for the good. Stay Golden as Johnny famously stated and be sure to never compromise your values. Your book also highlighted the differences which occur between the different social classes in America, yet more importantly it highlighted the similarities. It is important that everyone is given an equal chance to succeed or at least an equal shot at acceptance. No matter which social strata we consider ourselves a part

    of, many similarities exist between ourselves and our peers. Your book did an excellent job at teaching acceptance and tolerance and I appreciate your work. You have left an impression upon my life which I greatly value and I will always remember the lessons which Johnny, Ponyboy and most importantly Darry have taught me.

    Yours Sincerely,

    Jesse Doiron

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