Conflict In The Outsiders

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Staying away from trouble is one problem. Dealing with it is another unfathomable problem. Groups of people conflicting with each other is yet another problem. The list goes on. One only has to upset the fragile balance of society, and, all of a sudden, the whole gang crosses the line between tension and catastrophe. The good news is that all of these problems can be solved by one simple answer. Life's lessons can help prevent these types of problems from ever happening. In S.E Hinton's book The Outsiders, two groups - the Greasers and Socs, do not learn from their mistakes, and so, fighting breaks loose. Learning from mistakes is simple. The characters in the book just choose not to learn. Only one character chooses to stay safe and avoid conflict - Randy. Randy is wise to say, "I'm sick of it because it doesn't do any good" (117). One can avoid conflict by stating their mind - by just not joining in the event one thinks is trouble. When someone does, however, something is bound to erupt. Whether it's injury or even death, it WILL happen. Randy states, "He's dead - his mother has had a nervous breakdown" (116). Fighting can not only kill, but the affect can spread to other people, much like a pandemic. By learning about the Greaser's and the Soc's lives, people can avoid all of these troubles.…show more content…
We can learn from it, however. We are not stuck in stories that are written by somebody else that ultimately leads to an end, and is unchangeable. Life IS a book, one that can be changed by us. Learning from our mistakes helps avoid major disasters, and it might, just might, change the ending of you book for good. Life can be tough, obviously. People just have to live through it. Without maintaining our integrity as a learner, we would break down and probably end up like the average Greaser - tough (not tuff), and a glutton for

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