Parental Abuse Motivates Delinquency in Children; The Outsider by Susan Eloise Hinton

Last Updated: 13 Mar 2023
Pages: 2 Views: 92

Within The Outsiders novel, Susan Eloise Hinton shows that parental abuse causes children to engage in delinquent behavior. To this end, Johnny Cade is mistreated by his parents, Consequently, Cade murders Bob Sheldon. Likewise, Steve Randle engages in criminal conduct thanks to the mistreatment he receives from his father, To show that The Outsiders highlights the relationship between parental abuse and delinquency in children, this essay analyses Cade and Randle’s experiences in the hands of their respective abusive parents and the duo’s delinquent actions. Parental abuse causes children to engage in delinquent behavior because, after being mistreated by his parents, Cade becomes a murderer. On this note, Cade fatally stabs Sheldon using a switch knife.

Following this attack, Cade becomes a criminal who runs away from the authorities. One could validly argue that Cade commits this murder due to parental abuse. This is because, whereas Cade’s mother ignores the son, the father has a habit of beating this child. From this analysis, it is evident that, due to parental abuse, Cade commits the crime of murder. Further, parental abuse causes children to engage in delinquency because Randle, who is mistreated by his father, habitually engages in delinquent acts. To this end, Randle participates in a particular street fight that is motivated by his hatred for well-off people. Through this violent activity, Randle engages in delinquency. One can validly contend that Randle adopts delinquency due to the mistreatment he suffers in the hands of his father.

This is because, every week, Randle‘s father orders the son to leave the family home, never to come back. In other words, the father does not want to take care of everyday needs of Steve like a father should. Given that Randle is only seventeen years old, the father‘s attitude amounts to abuse. Coupled with the father’s mistreatment, Randle’s delinquent acts show that parental abuse motivates children to engage in criminality, In conclusion, The Outsiders shows that parental abuse causes children to engage in delinquent behavior. On this note, Cade is beaten and neglected by the parents; Cade kills Sheldon, Likewise, Randle is tormented by his father; Randle habitually engages in street fights To obtain additional insights, it would be prudent to investigate what could have prompted Hinton to depict Cade and Randle as abused children While investigating this matter, one would find out whether specific personal experiences influenced Hintoni.

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Parental Abuse Motivates Delinquency in Children; The Outsider by Susan Eloise Hinton. (2023, Mar 13). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/parental-abuse-motivates-delinquency-in-children-the-outsider-by-susan-eloise-hinton/

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