[Help] Comparing "The Outsiders" and "Holes"

WolfieeifloW

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I don't really know if you're allowed to do this here but;
I have to do a comparative essay on two books.

I've chosen (Thanks to Jimpy) "The Outsiders" and "Holes".
I have a couple points I'm going to touch on but I need more as this thing has to be 6-8 pages.

If anyone can post links (Connections, as in between the books (Not links as in URLS :p )) between the two books I'd be oh-so-grateful (+rep for good responses) .

Thank you in advance.
 

ElderKingpin

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I don't really know if you're allowed to do this here but;
I have to do a comparative essay on two books.

I've chosen (Thanks to Jimpy) "The Outsiders" and "Holes".
I have a couple points I'm going to touch on but I need more as this thing has to be 6-8 pages.

If anyone can post links (Connections, as in between the books (Not links as in URLS :p )) between the two books I'd be oh-so-grateful (+rep for good responses) .

Thank you in advance.

One. Its called wikipedia.

Also, you want us to help you with homework?
 

WolfieeifloW

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With help being the keyword.

I even forewarned I didn't know if I was allowed to do this or whatever.
I didn't ask for anyone to do it for me;
Just for help.
 

thewrongvine

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Erm... Outsiders movie is older than the Holes movie by 2 decades or somethin, :D

They both include... boys... trying to solve... problems?

~Hai-Bye-Vine~
 

Ninva

Анна Ахматова
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I would include this somewhere: The book The Outsiders sucked compared to Holes, which was pretty interesting and exciting at times.

I haven't read the books in a while though, so I couldn't help much.
 

Seb!

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First off, I highly doubt that anyone will find a link comparing those two books. (Even closely related books that are not considered classics probably won't yield an online comparison?) Most of the themes in both works are different, although they both talk about brotherhood. This theme is thankfully enough to write 6-8 pages about.

I'm going to have to disagree with Ninva here. The Outsiders used to be one of my favorite books. It is entertaining and intense. I also think, though, that Holes is a great book, too.


Though.. I did find this?
 

DogOfHavoc

Future Tragedy
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Both are coming of age stories. I have to disagree with Ninva though and say The Outsiders was the better of the two. It deals with more mature themes and is generally less silly than Holes (which is still a good book).
 

WolfieeifloW

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Thanks for all the feedback guys.
I already handed in the essay though;
And here it is if you want to read it.
Just keep in mind I'm a horrible essay writer so, yeah...
The main characters in “Holes”, by Louis Sachar, and “The Outsiders”, by S.E. Hinton, both ran away from their problems. You'd think of this as a cowardice way to handle things, but in the end for each character, Stanley Yelnats and Ponyboy Curtis respectively, it turns out to be the main reason they end up satisfied with the result of their overall experiences. With their act of seemingly taking the easy way out, both characters end up stronger in the end because of it. Without doing what they did, the events leading up to the end of their actions with the reader, it would have concluded in a fairly similar state as to how it started, which in both cases was not too well of a situation. The growth of each character is shown rather well in each novel. Both Stanley and Ponyboy learn quite a bit on their stray away from 'home' from their best friends, 'Zero' and Johnny, that are there with them the whole time. Without these characters there to tag along and guide Stanley and Ponyboy throughout their ventures things surely would have ended in a different attitude, of which would not have been a positive one. Both Stanley and Ponyboy enter comparable situations near the beginning, and both exit with comparable situations near the end.

In the beginning, Stanley is quick to arrive to his situation at Camp Greenlake. This is his 'home' for almost the whole duration of the story and where all the notable events take place. While in the beginning for Ponyboy his 'home' is still with his two brothers, Darrell and Sodapop. Stanley at first has barely anyone there for him, Zero seems to be his only friend while Ponyboy feels the same way also. He feels Darrell doesn't want him, as if no one really wants him. The difference for each of them though is that Stanley is out of place. He's the “new” kid, he doesn't know anyone and no one knows him. Ponyboy is still in his neighbourhood on the East Side. He knows everyone. He doesn't have to feel out of place like Stanley does at Camp Greenlake. Ponyboy also has a different attitude then Stanley at this stage. Stanley still has his positive attitude towards everything whereas Ponyboy feels unneeded, useless, unwanted. This seems contradicting to their situations, as Stanley is in a place he doesn't know and Ponyboy is in his territory yet Ponyboy is the one who feels down and stood out amongst everyone else while Stanley feels still fairly normal, besides the initial awkwardness of entering a new surrounding. These different attitudes towards everything begin to change towards the middle of the novel, at least for Stanley.

Both characters acts of running away occur in the midst of the novel. Stanley's experience thus far at Camp Greenlake has not been as pleasant as he initially expected in the beginning. This is quite the same as Ponyboy, who still feels that he is unwanted. There is differentiation in their reasons for running away however, since Ponyboy ran away because of Darrell hitting him while Stanley (Nicknamed Caveman at this point) runs away to go and find Zero. Ponyboy initially only ran away to the park, but after Johnny stabbed Bob Ponyboy and Johnny hurry to Dallas to find a way out of their mess. They run away to Windrixville to a church. This, being comparable to Stanley and Zero running away to “God's Thumb”, the mountain. They each run away to a place that has a relation to religion, which is also the place they learn the most about themselves throughout the entire novel although their situations differ as to how they feel about the place that they're at. Stanley and Zero are glad to be on the mountain. It holds the water and food they desire, and need at this point. Ponyboy and Johnny are happy to be away from their Greasers vs Socs world although this new home is, unlike Stanley and Zero, not the most joyful place for them to be.

The decisions that each set of characters make are what decide their fate in the end of the novels. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save the children in the church that's burning down. This is the pivotal point for them as they get injured and is how they arrive back to their original residence in Oklahoma. Stanley and Zero decide that they need to go back to camp and discover the treasure that 'Kissin' Kate Barlow' left behind one hundred and ten year previous. Both of these instances are what lead up to each characters 'happily ever after' endings.

The Greasers vs Socs rumble is viewed as a bad thing at first. People would get hurt, some lives may even be lost, but in the very end, it turns out to be a good thing. The same goes for Stanley. At first when they find the loot of Kate Barlow there's several yellow-spotted lizards on the chest, which they do not notice until the Warden shines the light on them. This is a very rough situation for both of them, as the bite of a yellow-spotted lizard can, and will kill. Comparable to the fact that each situation ends with the characters being happy, as Stanley gets to go home, with Zero, and Ponyboy and his brothers, Darrell and Sodapop, become closer then ever since their parents death.

Each set of characters learn a lot about themselves through their experiences. Stanley learns about his history, and how all his 'bad luck' is not actually because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. His best friend, Zero, whose real name is Hector Zeroni, is the great-great-great grandson of Madame Zeroni, who is the one who supposedly cursed the Stanley Yelnats name. Ponyboy learns how Greasers and Socs really aren't that different. He learns about family values, and how his older brother Darrell does not think of him as useless, doesn't view Ponyboy as an unwanted unity.

All in all, these two characters experience quite similar scenarios at the different stages of each of their undertakings. Whether it be at the beginning, where things are generally smooth and characters are revealed, or in the middle where each character runs away from their problems and where they learn the most about themselves. Even at the end where each character understands why things went the way they did in the beginning, and becomes happy and satisfied with their situations in their 'happily-ever-after's.​
Indentation/tabs didn't work :eek: .
But yeah.
Not really looking for criticism or anything;
Just posting in case anyone wanted to see.
 

Syndrome

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Didn't read the essay, but one connection is that it shows a tyrannical leader that oppresses over others. In the Outsiders, the government forbid more then 2 sons/daughters, while Holes depicted a group of boys forced to dig holes to 'build character' by a greedy overseer. These two stories show that such ways to rule would only lead to some sort of rebellion as skepticism will exist no matter what.

Sometihng like that. Don't quote me :p
 

DogOfHavoc

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"In the Outsiders, the government forbid more then 2 sons/daughters"

I don't remember that being true.
 

Syndrome

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...
Wait, Im thinking of Among the Hidden o_O..
Let me think here...
 

Miz

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I would include this somewhere: The book The Outsiders sucked compared to Holes, which was pretty interesting and exciting at times.

I haven't read the books in a while though, so I couldn't help much.

I have to disagree xD
Outsiders was better than Holes in my opinion. Holes was good but I have read mostly all S.E. Hinton's books and enjoyed them :p

I would say "Growing Up" or "Maturing" were the themes the two books shared, but Brotherhood like Seb! said is also a possibility.
 
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