The Outsiders: A Religious Perspective On The Greatest Movie Ever

 

We have a grade almost every day in all of my five Bible classes at WCS and with all but test scores, a bonus question is added. It might be the name of my fourth grade teacher (Mrs. Harris) or it could be my first college roommate (Jerry Larsen.) Sometimes it has to do with the number of times a name is mentioned in the Bible or a celebrity celebrating a birthday. There is no penalty for being wrong and with the above types of questions, I always provide eight options so you have a 12.5% chance of improving your score. Not bad odds! Sometimes the extra credit is an opinion question such as discussing your favorite holiday or why you respect another student. Right before Thanksgiving, the bonus on a quiz was to tell your favorite all time movie and explain the reason for your choice. One of my freshman young ladies went into depth on the greatness of The Outsiders and added in a PS that she could enlighten myself and others for days on the matter! (I should add I have known her since she was very small. Kaitlyn called me Uncle Hawley when she was in elementary school as her grandfather grew up close to my hometown in Nebraska.) I took her up on her offer with the caveat that she had to tie her thoughts in with spiritual principles. Without further ado and completely unedited, I give you  Kaitlyn's discourse! I should also tell you she has the lead in our WCS presentation of Radium Girls which debuts in three days!

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders has so many underlying themes throughout the story. It tells us that sometimes, we need to change our perspective of the world. It also teaches us that we shouldn’t judge other people based on first impressions. However, it also has some themes of religion.

First off, what is The Outsiders about? The Outsiders is about two groups of people, the Greasers and the Socs. Think of Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story without the romantic tropes. It tells us that people go through a lot of different things, and we have to try our best to understand that. According to cliffnotes.com, “The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis (portrayed by C. Thomas Howell in the movie) and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider.” 

There is a point in the story where Ponyboy and Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio) are saving children from a burning building. This ends horribly, but shows how selfless these two kids are. The Bible says, in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” This is a perfect example of that verse. Johnny and Ponyboy weren’t concerned about themselves. They weren’t doing it for themselves or Dallas Winston (Matt Dillon), the Greaser who was driving them back home. They did it in the interest of those kids.

Proverbs 17:17 states, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” While this verse does not exactly apply to this story, it does in a metaphorical sense. The Greasers treat each other like brothers. While three of them are, in fact, brothers, the entire gang is as close as a family. A dysfunctional one, but still a family. Not all of the verses in the Bible have to be taken literally. This is proven by this verse being used to describe a family that isn’t a family.

Another big moral in The Outsiders is that you shouldn’t be afraid to be yourself. The Bible talks about this, as well. An example of this in the Bible is our theme verse for the year, Ephesians 2:10, which says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” By the end of the story, Ponyboy wasn’t afraid to be himself. He knew that the different social classes were a scam. He decided that anyone could be whomever they wanted to be. It shows that there is a difference between self-identity and group-identity and how we are not who our friends and family are.

This story also shows the hurt and heartache after losing someone. What the Bible has to say about this is as follows: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4).” God knows everything everyone has ever gone through. Fictional characters or real people, He knows. He knows that “nothing gold,” whether that be humans, sunsets, or pieces of art, “can stay.”

The Outsiders, though not originally written to talk about religion, is a religious story. It talks about doing nothing out of a selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3-4), friends being more like family (Proverbs 17:17), not being afraid to be yourself (Ephesians 2:10), and the art of heartache after loss (Revelation 21:4). Throughout the story, you can see more and more religious messages unfold. This shows how any work of art, whether that be a portrait, a movie, or a novel, can be connected to the Bible. All you need is a tiny piece of creativity to see it. God bless, Steve/Coach Luke 18:1