“We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us.” - Paul (1998). Stereotyping is usually caused by the way in which we think in terms of categories from our own experiences.In the novel The Outsiders, a lot of stereotyping occurs between the two groups, the Greasers and the Socs. Most of the stereotypes found in the book are very obvious or extremely subtle.

The stereotypes made in the book are made by the two gangs, and can be conspicuous to the reader, or they can be subtle. One salient stereotype is how both of the gangs describe each other, in what they wear and how they live.The Greasers define the Socs as the rich kids who live on the West Side of town, wear madras shirts, drive nice cars, like to jump the Greasers, and are an asset to society. Whereas the Socs define the Greasers as the poor kids who were white trash with long greasy hair.Another apparent stereotype was how …show more content…
Some people may argue with this judgement, but an unobtrusive stereotype that was found in the book was Ponyboy calling Dally a hood. Dally gets into the most trouble in the gang and is known as a hood by Ponyboy, but Johnny may not see Dally as a hood.It is also said by Ponyboy that when Dally died, he was a hood because of all the bad things he did, but he died gallantly by helping Johnny and Ponyboy too.Another inconspicuous judgement found in this book was before the Greasers go to fight in the rumble, Soda stereotypes himself. He says “ I am a greaser. I am a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our fair city. I beat people up. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man do I have fun!”Sodapop stereotypes himself for some unfathomable reason by calling himself a JD and a hood, which Greasers are known for being in society. These subtle stereotypes are all throughout the novel but we should take these examples and learn from