In Chapter 9, the Greasers are getting ready for their upcoming rumble with the Socs. Ponyboy, Soda, and Steve begin to put excessive amounts of grease in their hair to show that they are Greasers. Ponyboy mentions that Greasers may not have a lot, but they do have a reputation. Then he thinks to himself, "What kind of world is it where all I have to be proud of is a reputation for being...
In Chapter 9, the Greasers are getting ready for their upcoming rumble with the Socs. Ponyboy, Soda, and Steve begin to put excessive amounts of grease in their hair to show that they are Greasers. Ponyboy mentions that Greasers may not have a lot, but they do have a reputation. Then he thinks to himself, "What kind of world is it where all I have to be proud of is a reputation for being a hood, and greasy hair" (Hinton 13). He continues to think about how he is "marked lousy" and considered a hood even though he doesn't steal, mug people, or drink alcohol. Ponyboy asks himself why he should be proud of his bad reputation and why should even he pretend to be proud of it. He then comments that Darry never wore his hair long and greasy. Darry kept his hair short and clean all the time. Ponyboy begins to question his choice to pretend to embrace the Greaser persona because he is not comfortable acting like someone he is not. He feels hopeless because society labels him as a hood simply based on his social status and peer group. On one hand, Pony embraces his Greaser persona because he will be "marked lousy" regardless, but on the other hand, he doesn't want to be considered a hood and is sick of pretending to enjoy it. Overall, Ponyboy wants to live in a world where he is accepted for who he truly is, and not judged by society to the point of embracing a persona that he is not proud of.
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