The Outsiders Rite Of Passage

Growing Up Can Be Rough: Rite of Passage in Young Adult Novels Transitioning out of childhood is something every individual must face. However, not everyone faces this transition at the same time or in the same way. In the Young Adult genre, the main characters have something in common: they are all going through the rite of passage from being children to young adults. In The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, a boy trying to figure out his identity while being bullied from a rival group, in Forever, by Judy Blume, a girl is coming to terms with her sexual identity, and in The Absolute Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, a boy is facing the consequences of his adult decision. All of these characters are coming to terms with identity in some way.
He is a fourteen-year-old boy apart of a group, the Greasers, that is notorious for getting into trouble. However, he is unlike any of the other boys. Ponyboy likes to read, as well as “go to the movies” (Hinton 13). His school work is also important to him, “read[ing] Great Expectations for English, and recalls of a dissection experiment in Biology” (15). Ponyboy’s differences create a division in his life. One division is with the Greasers. Since he is not like the other boys, he will always be