Douthen Lau 12/22/11
English. 7 Ms.Skolnik

The Mysteries of an Outsider
Writers, as they gain success, feel like outsiders because writers don't come together in real groups.
-Anne Rice The true nature of surviving through tragic and rouch enviroments is to be an Outsider. If they are an outsider, it means they dont fit in with what is considered normal. An outsider is someone that doesn't fit in quite well. They don't belong in a group. They do not belong with the rest but they still try. People strive for their lives in fights and want to make a living. Sometimes other the other person are in a better economic position and has more advantage in life but others still try to have people accept them and try to make a decent living. Tennis players in reality have a rule called "Second Service", it's when a player's first service was a fault and the server gets a second shot. In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, the main character Ponyboy has always been dreaming for a second chance to do things right again and trandform those errors into the things he wanted. One time when the second service and the game of tennis related to Ponyboy was in several instances. When he says to himself, " Please, not him..... not him and Johnny both- I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and always got what he wanted", (154) Ponyboy reflects how he wanted a second chance to change Dally's decision to die because of how reckless Ponyboy and Johnny were when the church fire occurred at Windrixville and Dally himself had to go save them when they were caught in the fire. Johnny died and that made Dally frustrated and wanted to do stupid things just to get what he wanted. Ponyboy had always hoped for another chance to save Johnny from getting crushed from the church fire just because Ponyboy himself was reckless. He went alone and attracted those around him without further notice. In result Johnny was severely injured and lead to death. In these lines, "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.... said Johnny. His pillow seemed to sink alittle and died" (148) Explains how Johnny wanted Ponyboy to be the same that he wad then; when Johnny sinked low and died, Ponyboy felt empty. Once after Johnny died, Ponyboy walked out of the hospital thinking that Johnny isn't dead and he's too afraid to face reality. Ponyboy doesn't want this to happen. During the close ending chapter Ponyboy said things and wondered that " Johnny was dead, but wasn't. That still body in the hospital wasn't Johnny. Johnny was somewhere else- maybe sleeping in the lot or playing the pinball machine in the bowling alley", (150) shows how Ponyboy tricks himself into thinking that Johnny is still alive. He knew that if Johnny didn't go inside the church with Ponyboy then this wouldn't have happened in the first place. Now he wanted Johnny to be with him again and deel within himself, he acknowledge's Johnny's death. Everyone deserved a second chance in life. My life has been going smoothly when my cousin appeared. When I'm writing a report or doing my homework, they keep