In the novel The Outsiders, how are the Socs and the Greasers different? Which group would be considered "right"? Who is the hero of the novel?

The Socs and Greasers both come from different social classes and tend to have different personalities and values.Members of the Socs come from wealthy families and enjoy special privileges. Since they drive nice cars and wear new clothes, they are viewed as more socially acceptable members of society when compared to the Greasers. Cherry also tells Ponyboy that most of the Socs are superficial and act too cool. The Greasers come from a lower...

The Socs and Greasers both come from different social classes and tend to have different personalities and values. Members of the Socs come from wealthy families and enjoy special privileges. Since they drive nice cars and wear new clothes, they are viewed as more socially acceptable members of society when compared to the Greasers. Cherry also tells Ponyboy that most of the Socs are superficial and act too cool. The Greasers come from a lower social class and have a bad reputation throughout their community. The majority of Greasers come from broken homes and do not hide their emotions. They are more supportive of each other when compared to the Socs, and are a closer group of friends. Neither gang is "right" because both the Socs and Greasers attempt to solve their differences through violence. However, there are sensitive, thoughtful characters in both groups who denounce fighting. Hinton sympathizes with the Greaser gang more throughout the novel and several characters from the Greaser gang could be considered heroes. Johnny and Ponyboy save the lives of the children in the burning church, Johnny then saves Pony's life by pushing him out of the building, and Dally saves Johnny's life by dragging him out of the fire. Each of those characters could be considered heroes and they all are members of the Greaser gang.