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The Outsiders

 (Picture from Goodreads.com)

1.       Bibliography

Hinton, S.E. 1967. THE OUTSIDERS. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
       ISBN 978-0-14-038572-4

2.       Plot Summary

Ponyboy is a young man that thinks he has it all figured out. He sticks with his brothers Darry and Sodapop as well as his friends who would do anything for him. Their parents are dead and they are on their own. Darry looks out for them but can’t always be around. Ponyboy finds himself in the middle of a rival gang rumble (the Greasers VS the Socs) and things go too far. His friend Jonny stabs one of the Socs’ and he dies.

 

Thinking they don’t have another option, Ponyboy and Johnny escape town. On the run, Ponyboy and Johnny use help from their friends to hide. They disguise themselves and spend time talking and reading from GONE WITH THE WIND.

 

When a church goes up in flames, the boys run in to save some children and Johnny is injured. Coming full circle, Johnny takes a life, saves a life, and in doing so loses his own. Dally, the friend who helped the boys escape, is also killed when is his grief he robs a store, threatens police, and is shot. The gangs are forced to look at their actions and the consequences.

 

Ponyboy struggles through his grief and his English teacher suggests he write his final exam on any topic of his choice. He ends up writing an essay about everything that has happened to him and hopes to bring the memories of his friends to light.

 

3.       Critical Analysis

The Outsiders is a coming of age story that delivers messages to kids about social status, growing up, finding yourself, and rebellion. This book is different from fantasy novels because the teenagers are real, not unrealistic heroes that face problems the average student will never face. This makes the book more relatable.

 

All the characters are complex with detailed back stories that draw the reader into the tale. The main character appears to be Ponyboy, but Johnny, Dally, Darry, and Sodapop are well loved and thoroughly explored.

 

While Ponyboy and Johnny are on the run they read GONE With THE WIND and discuss lessons about life. Deciding what is right, or wrong, and where they fit into the world are not just for runaway teens. Many young people contemplate their existence and can relate to the young men in these scenes.

S.E. Hinton wrote the book while she was in high school, and that perspective undoubtedly played into her writing. This book is also one of the first books by a female author to be recognized as a young adult book. Hinton is often credited with being one of the first to write a book specifically for young adults. High school students love this book because the social climate described is very real. There is a divide between cliques based off of socio-economic status. While not every teen goes through a murder, many feel outcast and hatred toward other groups. Fighting to fit in, being taken care of by a family member instead of parents, and having a close group of friends that feel more like family than family does, are very common occurrences and not specific to any generation.

4.       Awards/Reviews

·       "The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world." —The New York Times

·       "Taut with tension, filled with drama." —The Chicago Tribune

·       "[A] classic coming-of-age book." —Philadelphia Daily News

·       A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book

·       A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book

·       An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

·       Winner of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award

5.       Connections

This book would be great for middle/ high school students. Students looking for a realistic novel about teenagers will enjoy this book despite changes in technology and society. Cliques and rivalries will never change.

 

Similar titles are WEST SIDE STORY and ROMEO AND JULIET. Both titles deal with rival gangs, teenagers, and the struggle to fit in.


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