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In The Outsiders by S. E Hinton, Hinton develops the theme through setting, character, and plot through the course of the book. The theme of the book is loss of innocence, and that is clearly developed. The setting helps develop this because of the circumstances they are in. Ponyboy and the other greasers have seen a lot in their short lives. They have been through a lot and are always at risk of being hurt by the Socs. Ponyboy stays innocent through all of these trials, and doesn't lose his innocence even though they live in such a messed up world. The theme is greatly developed through character. One of the main characters, Dally, is portrayed as a character who is "... tougher than the rest of us--- tougher, colder, meaner"(10). This insinuates that Dally is no longer innocent, and too far gone. All the violence and hate has shaped him into who he is--- a "dangerous" and "cold" character. On the other hand, Ponyboy is someone who has never lost his innocence and does not lose who he is through all the hard times. He has always been optimistic, and enjoyed things the other greasers have found time-wasting. He has not let the ordeals change who he is, so he hasn't lost his innocence. The plot of The Outsiders also develops the theme. There are quite a few events in the book that correlate with the theme. For example, when Ponyboy picks up a broken bottle and pretends to threaten the Socs, in his head he knows that he would never do it. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, and he understands that the Socs don't all have perfect lives. In Cherry's words, "It's rough all over"(31). S.E Hinton develops theme in the book by use of character, plot, and setting.

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When Ponyboy starts to write a book about his experiences, that shows his innocence. He wants to help people all around the world with his story, and wants people to see Dally for a hero, not a hoodlum. He wants to end the class discrimination for good. His main motive is to help people, and that is how his innocence shows.

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Ponyboy says, " 'Hey, I said suddenly, 'can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?' She blinked, startled, then smiled, 'real good' " (130). In this scene, Ponyboy had just had a fight with Cherry and reconciled with her by talking about the sunset. Ponyboy and Cherry are both very similar people, because they are both "outcasts", of a sort. They are not like the other Socs, or the other Greasers. His innocence shows through because he is able to forgive. All the other Greasers would turn to fights and would hold grudges, but not Ponyboy. He is able to forgive Cherry, and he wants to help her.

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" 'I'll get them, don't worry!' I started at a dead run for the church, and the man caught my arm. 'I'll get them. You kids stay out' " (78)! In this quote, Ponyboy does not hesitate to save the kids from the fire. He jumps in without a second thought, and doesn't think about the consequences. He knows that he started the fire, and blames himself for the burning of the church. One of the defining traits of his personality is his want to help people. He wants to help all the greasers, he wants to help Randy, he wants to help Cherry, and he wants to help the children trapped in the church. This shows his innocence because he always ready to help, no matter the circumstances.

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Ponyboy thinks, " 'In the country... I loved the country. I wanted to bet out of towns and away from excitement...not worry about being jumped or carrying a blade or ending up married to some scatterbrained broad with no sense'" (48). This quote means that Ponyboy wants to be away from all the fighting and the rivalries, away form all the excitement. All the other Greasers love the element of risk involved in their lifestyle (although they do not enjoy getting jumped by Socs) and enjoy fighting. Ponyboy wanted to live a simple lifestyle, away from all the risk. This shows his innocence because he wants to be away from all complications, in the country where he can be himself.

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Something that I forgot to say was that this supports the Theme statement because this shows his innocence. He is so averse to fighting that he doesn't even want to threaten someone. He has been through traumatic times and seen so much, but still has his innocence.

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Ponyboy enjoys books and movies like nobody else in his gang. He has always been interested in the unconventional and slower things in life, such as sunsets. He has always thought that he was alone (that is, until he met Cherry). Ponyboy explains, "And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. For a while there, I thought I was the only person in the world that did. So I loned it" (2).  (The book below is Gone With The Wind, Ponyboy's favorite book).

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The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is about loss of innocence and reveals that innocence doesn't change, even through traumatic times.