Shriya

Mrs. Henry
ELA/ Reading 1/ 6
8 December 2016
The Outsiders
A hero could follow a journey, or he could inspires others to be better. Archetypal criticism
can be used to analyze S.E. Hintons novel, The Outsiders. Critics believe that there is a realm of
human experience in myths that goes deeper than intellectual rational thinking. The critics also
recognize that myths explain the natural world, offer guidance proper way to behave in a given
society, and offer insights into lifes milestones. The main characters in The Outsiders are
Johnny and Ponyboy. Archetypal criticism can be used to analyze the insights Hinton provides
into the lives of young adults by exploring the journey and milestones of Johnnys life as a hero.
Hinton describes the heros journey by explaining the different stages. For instance, Johnny
goes through the first stage, the call to adventure, in the journey. After Johnny kills Bob, he
says, We gotta get outa here. Get somewhere, run away(57). The call to adventure is an
essential stage in the heros journey because it provides a base for the plot structure. Johnny also
goes through the departure, crisis, and result stages. Another main stage is the return. In the
process of saving children from a burning church, Johnny gets severely injured, so he is
transported back to his hometown in an ambulance. Theyre (Johnny and Dally) in the other
ambulance(94). Because all archetypal heroes have to return from their journeys, this stage

provides an insight into the lives of young heroes. A true archetypal hero has to go through the
twelve stages in the heros journey.
Hinton offers insights into Johnnys life as a hero by using archetypal milestones. For
instance, Johnny passes into adulthood when he goes into the burning church to save the
children. He wasnt scared either. That was the only time I saw him without that defeated
suspicious look in his eyes. He looked like he was having the time of his life(94). Milestones
can provide insights into a heros passage into adulthood. Eventually, Johnny encounters the
last and unavoidable milestone, death. While Johnny is dying, he gives Ponyboy an important
message. Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold The pillow seemed to sink a little and Johnny
died(148). Death is a milestone that all heroes go through, but some heroes encounter this
milestone early in life. Important archetypal milestones provide insights into the lives of young
heroes.
In conclusion, Hinton uses archetypal criticism to explore the journey and milestones in
Johnnys life, and Hinton offers insights into the lives of young adults. A hero can go through
the archetypal heros journey, or a hero can inspires others to be better. By exploring the
different stages, Hinton describes the heros journey. Johnny is a true hero because he has both
of the important qualities of a hero. He becomes an archetypal hero when he saves the children
from the burning church, and he becomes hero when he inspires ponyboy to stay gold or be true
to himself. True heroes create inspiring paths for others to follow.