Salazar 1

Luna Salazar
Mrs. Henry
ELA/Reading
8 December 2016
Archetypal Criticism in The Outsiders
A hero, defined as someone who puts himself in the face of danger to save someone else, may
be viewed by the media as a strong, independent, brave, young man. But in fact, a hero can come
in all shapes and sizes. In literature, a hero displays the archetypes: unusual circumstances at
birth such as royalty, leaves family or land to live with others, a traumatic event which leads to
an adventure, yields a special weapon, receives supernatural help, hero must prove himself
worthy on the journey, the unhealable wound, atonement with father, and when the hero dies they
are rewarded spiritually. In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, the reader can analyze the text
and determine whether or not a character qualifies as a hero. Hinton utilized the hero archetypes
to develop the dynamic character, Ponyboy.
Unusual circumstances at birth, such as royalty or orphanage, affect the characters mindset
and actions. For example, Ponyboy was born into a middle class family with a mother, a father,
and two brothers. His family was well balanced until his parents died. Were poorer than the
Socs and the middle class Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old
souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while Since Mom and
Dad were killed in an auto wreck, the three of us get to stay together only as long as we behave,
(6).
First, the hero must be born. Second, the hero must leave their home or land. In this case,
Ponyboy arrived home late one day and Darry snapped. Darry wheeled around and slapped me

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so hard that it knocked me against the door, (46). Ponyboy, so emotionally hurt, decided to
leave home with his buddy, Johnny.
After Johnny and Ponyboy left home, they went on a quest. Usually during the quest, the hero
encounters a tight situation, eventually leading to a traumatic event. During the quest, a hero
always receives supernatural help. Both Johnny and Ponyboy run away from home and were
jumped by a group of Socs. With Ponyboys head forcibly submerged underwater, Johnnys fight
or flight instincts kicked in. I killed him, he said slowly. I killed that boy. Bob the
Handsome Soc was lying there in the moonlight, doubled up and still. A dark pool was growing
from him, spreading slowly over the blue-white cement, (51). Panicked, Ponyboy and Johnny
leave their town and live in the country for a few days.
A hero must prove himself worthy multiple times on an adventure. Take a burning church for
example. The two boys noticed that the church they were living in caught on fire and in the rush
of adrenalin, Ponyboy rushed in to save children that had been trapped inside. I remembered
wondering what it was like in a burning ember and I thought. Now I know, it's a red hell. Why
arent I scared? (82). One important characteristic of a hero is their bravery. On the front page
of the second section was the headline: Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heroes, (95).
To develop Ponyboy as a hero, Hinton uses the archetypes and qualities of a hero. Archetypal
literary criticism is a critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on myths and archetypes in
characters, images, narrative, symbols and themes. The Outsiders demonstrates the worthiness of
a hero in all shapes and sizes. Even though Greasers are thought to be hoods, Ponyboy qualifies
as a hero according to the archetypes.

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Works Cited
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 1967. Print.
Gillespie, Tim Doing Literary Criticism: Helping Students Engage with Challenging Texts.
Poland, MR.: Stenhouse, 2010. 12 December. 2016