You can. You can be good. You can be good in a bad situation.
14-year-old Ponyboy lives in the 1960s Oklahoma gang scene, a world that is trying to destroy his innocence. When he gets involved in a murder rap, Pony faces a series of choices that could lead to his moral destruction. At a critical moment, Pony notices the golden brilliance of a sunset. It is fleeting but beautiful, like the early flower of spring or the innocence of a child. He realizes that many of his friends have never seen a sunset. They were too anxious to grow up. So Ponyboy decides to "stay gold." He tries to make peace with members of the rival gang. He even puts himself in danger to protect innocent children. And, in the end, he does what he can to keep his broken little family together.
To me, Outsiders testifies of the strength of human will, the power that we hold to choose what our lives will be like. Ponyboy cannot remove himself from every dangerous situation, but he can remove dangerous consequences by taking moral action. Once he chooses to stay gold, he sticks to it. His story gives me the hope that we can be child-like and free of guilt in a fallen world.
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Sounds like a wonderful book.
ReplyDeleteYour review actually reminded me of a somewhat similar experience from my own life.
A few years ago I was dating a young lady who I thought the world of. However, she did not share my same feelings and so we broke apart. This was devastating to me and I struggled greatly with the experience. One morning, just after it had snowed, I found myself walking alone towards home from a class that had been canceled. As I was walking and thinking about this lady I felt rather dejected and my spirit, as was my head, was downcast. Suddenly I felt a soft whisper from my Heavenly Father to look up - which I did. Just then, off in the distance, a glorious ray of sunlight burst through the lowering clouds and in radiant splendor shone on the freshly fallen snow. It truly was a magnificent sight and experience. The Lord was teaching me that He was in charge, and no matter how dark or dismal the situation may seem, that He was watching over me with love.
Thanks for sharing your review of the book and what you learned from reading it!