Question

what is the overall theme of the novel, the outsiders

Answer 1

One of the most dominant themes in The Outsiders is that of class conflict. The beginning of the novel strongly introduces this theme as a group of Socs, the West Side rich kids, jump and terrorize Ponyboy, a young boy from the East Side: "Hey, grease," one said in an way to friendly voice.

Answer 2

Answer:

Divided Communities.

Explanation:

As the plot concentrates around two major conflicts, the fight between the Socs and greasers, and the conflict between Ponyboy and his brother Darry in the Curtis family, divided communities is a prominent topic of the novel.