Oh Censorship...

Molly Walsh

Post 3 (for the Outsiders)

January 10, 2012

            There are many reasons why The Outsiders could have been banned.  There was a lot of drinking, smoking, and mention of dirty talk in it.  There were also vast amounts of violence that dripped off of every page.  It was a book that I could see restrictive parents not allowing because they would want to shelter their kid.  I’m not saying that this book should be read to kindergarteners on their first day of school, but if a middle school, or high school student wished to read it, it would be a bit ridiculous if the book was banned.  Sure there are violent scenes, mention of weapons and underage drinking.  I guess people may have been so caught up in the bad parts that frankly weren’t even that bad.  They failed to see an underlying theme of how those actions in the book were not shown positively. 

            The Outsiders talks about violence, drinking, and people with a lack of education but it for sure doesn’t endorse any of those things.  Instead, the book portrays the negative effects on violence and the harsh realities that could result.   For some reason a parents like to censor certain things to keep their kids from experiencing the real world.  It would be important for the students to see how drinking, and violent behaviors could result in serious consequences.  Through this book, children and young adults could learn many lessons about how violence, revenge, underage drinking, and being a part of a gang are not things to be desired.  Johnny’s life was ruined by his violent actions, and so was Dally’s.  Some of the boys did not really have an education, but in the book it was disappointing to see someone a dropout.  It was not something that was encouraged or shown in a positive light. 

            Though it is clear why this book could have been censored, but it is a bit ridiculous that it actually was because students could gain much more from reading it than they could be sheltered from it.