| Revision as of 08:47, 27 July 2010 view sourceReconsider the static (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers14,483 editsm Reverted edits by 220.255.178.4 (talk) to last version by 65.29.245.99← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:55, 28 July 2010 view source 142.179.250.242 (talk) Shortened the summary down to a true summary - key ideas - no details. Added a theme section J. LarsonNext edit → | ||
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| == Plot summary == | == Plot summary == | ||
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| The Outsiders is set in 1965 and is about a teenage boy named Pony Boy. The story follows Poney Boy as he comes to understand who he is and what he wants from life. He struggles with his relationship with his brothers and the pressures and stereo typing that comes from 'living on the wrong side of the tracks.' One of the challenges he must deal with center on a group of socially privledged young peaple. | |||
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| Through a series of events, Pony Boy finds himself on the run and hiding with his friend and fellow gang member. When their hiding place burns down Pony Boy shows his true nature and must face the legal system and his brothers. The story ends where it started with Pony Boy telling his story in a term paper. | |||
| Ponyboy Curtis and his brothers, Soda and Darry, belong to a gang of lower-class youth called the Greasers in ], in 1965. They often fight with the Socs, a group of wealthy, privileged boys. Ponyboy is a shy, quiet 14 year old boy who gets good grades and likes to draw and read. Sodapop, the middle brother, is handsome and gets along well with the other Greasers. Darry, the oldest brother, has been caring for his brothers since their parents died in a car crash. He is very serious, works most of the time, and often yells at Ponyboy. Darry is athletic and was a good student, but he had to give up his education to care for his brothers so that they wouldn't have to separate and go to an orphanage. Dallas (Dally) Winston is the roughest of the Greasers, having lived on the streets of ] for three years. He seems to enjoy being a criminal and thinks that the law is a big joke. Two other Greasers are Two-Bit Mathews, who has a prodigious sense of humor, and Steve Randle, Sodapop's best friend. Finally, Johnny, the pet of the Greasers and 16 years old, is Ponyboy's closest friend and lives with his ] and ] mother and father. Johnny was jumped and beat up by a Soc wearing heavy rings. Ever since then, Johnny has been paranoid about the Socs and always carries a ]. | |||
| ==Characters== | |||
| Character List | |||
| '''Ponyboy Curtis''' - The novel’s fourteen-year-old narrator and protagonist. | |||
| As the novel opens, Ponyboy is leaving a movie theater when he is jumped by a group of Socs. He is saved from the attack by his friends and brothers, Darry and Sodapop. That night, Dallas, Johnny, and Ponyboy meet two Soc girls, Sherri (Cherry) Valance and Marcia. Ponyboy realizes that Cherry is nothing like the Socs he has met before. She tells Ponyboy that "things are rough all over", indicating that the rich kids have problems of their own. On the way home, Cherry and Marcia's boyfriends, Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson, see them with Johnny, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy outside the movie and think the boys are trying to "pick them up". The boys also realize that Bob is the boy with rings who once beat up Johnny. Cherry and Marcia prevent a fight by leaving with Bob and Randy willingly. When Ponyboy comes home, Darry gets really angry and hits him. Ponyboy storms out of the house and meets up with Johnny. As they wander around the neighborhood, Bob, Randy, and three other drunk Socs confront them in a vacant lot. They chase and catch both of them. Ponyboy is nearly drowned in a fountain by David, another Soc, so a terrified Johnny stabs Bob, accidentally killing him and scaring away the other Socs. The two boys run to find Dally, who gives them some money and a loaded gun and tells them to hide in an abandoned church a short distance out of town. They stay there for a few days, during which time Ponyboy reads '']'' to Johnny and recites the poem "]" by ]. | |||
| '''Darrel Curtis''' - Ponyboy’s oldest brother. Darrel. | |||
| When Dally comes to find them, he reveals that Cherry has become a spy for the Greasers and that the fights between the two rival groups have exploded in intensity since Bob's death. Johnny decides that he wants to turn himself in, as it isn't fair to Ponyboy to have to hide out while his brothers are worried about him. As they leave for home, they notice the church has caught on fire and that several small children are trapped inside. Johnny and Ponyboy rush to rescue them, but a large piece of burning wood falls on Johnny and breaks his back. Dally rescues Johnny from the burning church, burning his own arm along the way. Ponyboy spends a short time in the hospital. When his brothers arrive to see him, Darry breaks down and cries. Ponyboy then realizes that Darry cares about him, and is only hard on Ponyboy because he wants him to have a good future. | |||
| '''Sodapop Curtis''' - Ponyboy’s happy-go-lucky, handsome brother. Sodapop is the middle Curtis boy. | |||
| '''Two-Bit Mathews''' - The joker of Ponyboy’s group. | |||
| '''Steve Randle''' - Sodapop’s best friend since grade school. | |||
| '''Dallas Winston''' - The toughest hood in Ponyboy’s group of greasers. | |||
| '''Johnny Cade''' - A sixteen-year-old greaser with black hair and large, fearful eyes. | |||
| '''Sandy''' - Sodapop’s girlfriend. Sandy is pregnant with another man’s child and moves to Florida to live with her grandmother. | |||
| '''Cherry Valance''' - Bob’s girlfriend, she is a Soc cheerleader. | |||
| '''Marcia''' - Cherry’s friend and Randy’s girlfriend. | |||
| '''Randy Adderson''' - Marcia’s boyfriend and Bob’s best friend. | |||
| '''Bob Sheldon''' - Cherry’s boyfriend. | |||
| '''Paul Holden ''' - Paul and Darry were friends and football teammates in high school. | |||
| '''Jerry Wood -''' The teacher who accompanies Ponyboy to the hospital. | |||
| '''Tim Shepard -''' The leader of another band of greasers and a friend of Dally. | |||
| '''Curly Shepard - ''' The fifteen-year-old brother of Tim Shepard. | |||
| '''Mr. Syme -''' Ponyboy’s English teacher. Mr. Syme offers to raise Ponyboy’s grade if he turns in a well-written autobiographical theme. This assignment inspires Ponyboy to write about the greasers and the Socs, and his autobiographical theme turns into the novel The Outsiders. | |||
| ==Theme == | |||
| The main theme centers on stereo typing based on socioeconomic differences. However, Hinton implies that differences in social class are a surface distinction that is not real. She proposes that beneath these surface divisions that people can find shared interests and goals. Cherry Valance, a Soc, and Pony Boy Curtis, a greaser, learn they share a love of literature, popular music, and sunsets, which bridges the differences between their socio- economic groups. | |||
| A secondary theme emerges throughout the story. In this one Hinton proposes that honourable people, no matter what role they are in, have a “code of honour.” Spark Notes’ article on the Outsiders states that: | |||
| '' “In particular, we see acts of honourable duty from Dally Winston, a character who is primarily defined by his delinquency and lack of refinement. Pony Boy informs us that once, in a show of group solidarity, Dally let himself be arrested for a crime that Two-Bit had committed. Furthermore, when discussing Gone with the Wind, Johnny says that he views Dally as a Southern gentleman, as a man with a fixed personal code of behaviour. Statements like Johnny’s, coupled with acts of honourable sacrifice throughout the narrative, demonstrate that courtesy and propriety can exist even among the most lawless of social groups.”'' | |||
| Finally there is the under laying theme that females are not to be trusted. Throughout the story the male characters seem comfortable with the surety of how their friends and enemies will react in any given situation. In contrast, when female characters come into play, the dynamics change. For instance, when Cherry behaves in a friendly towards Pony Boy and Johhny the lines blur and problems arise. Even on the greaser side, Sodapop discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant with another man’s child. With these conflicts, Hinton communicates the idea that females are unpredictable and create erratic results. This theme reinforces the idea that males have a code of conduct and honour while females do not. This could be seen as a frightening indicator of social beliefs as it is a theme developed by a young female. | |||
| As Ponyboy is recovering at home, Two-Bit shows up and informs him that Johnny and Ponyboy have been declared heroes for rescuing the kids, but that Johnny will be charged with manslaughter for Bob's death. Also, the Greasers and Socs have agreed to settle their turf war with a major rumble in the vacant lot. When Ponyboy and Two-Bit visit Johnny and Dally in the hospital, they find Johnny in bad condition with multiple burns and a broken back. Dally is recovering well and insists on going to the rumble. The next evening, the Greasers win the fight with the Socs. Ponyboy however suffers from a concussion. After the rumble, Dally and Ponyboy visit Johnny again, where he dies in front of their eyes. Dally is overwhelmed and runs out of the hospital. Soon after, Darry and the others get a phone call from Dally, who has robbed a grocery store. The boys run out to find him, but the police are chasing him. Dally pulls out an unloaded gun that he only used as a bluff. Not knowing this, the police shoot him down. The boys realize that Dally couldn't bear to live without Johnny. Ponyboy faints and stays sick and delirious for nearly a week. While recovering at home, he convinces himself that Johnny is not dead and that he is the one who killed Bob. | |||
| When Ponyboy goes back to school, his grades drop dramatically. He begins to run into things and forget things. Although he is failing English, his teacher says he will pass him if he writes a decent theme. Ponyboy reads the copy of ''Gone with the Wind'' that Johnny gave to him before dying. In the pages, he finds a note from Johnny describing how he will die proudly after saving the kids from the fire. Johnny also urges Ponyboy to "stay gold," by which he means to stay the way he is and follow his dreams. With this in mind, Ponyboy decides to write his English assignment about everything that has happened recently in his life, and it is hinted that the novel itself is Ponyboy's English assignment. He begins with the same sentence with which the book began: "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: ] and a ride home..." | |||
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| == See also == | == See also == | ||
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| * | * | ||
| * By Dale Peck '']'' September 23, 2007 | * By Dale Peck '']'' September 23, 2007 | ||
| http://www.theoutsidersbookandmovie.com/ | |||
| {{Hinton}} | {{Hinton}} | ||
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| File:The Outsiders book.jpg | |
| Author | S. E. Hinton |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young-adult fiction |
| Publisher | Viking Press, Dell Publishing |
| Publication date | April 24, 1967 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback), Audiobook |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-670-53257-6 (hardcover edition) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| OCLC | 64396432 |
| Followed by | That Was Then, This Is Now |
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel based in 1965 by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel, and 18 when it was published. The book follows two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs (pronounced by the author as "so-shez", short for Socials), who are divided by their socioeconomic status.
A film adaptation was produced in 1983, and a short-lived television series appeared in 1990, picking up where the movie left off.
Plot summary
| This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Outsiders is set in 1965 and is about a teenage boy named Pony Boy. The story follows Poney Boy as he comes to understand who he is and what he wants from life. He struggles with his relationship with his brothers and the pressures and stereo typing that comes from 'living on the wrong side of the tracks.' One of the challenges he must deal with center on a group of socially privledged young peaple. Through a series of events, Pony Boy finds himself on the run and hiding with his friend and fellow gang member. When their hiding place burns down Pony Boy shows his true nature and must face the legal system and his brothers. The story ends where it started with Pony Boy telling his story in a term paper.
Characters
Character List
Ponyboy Curtis - The novel’s fourteen-year-old narrator and protagonist.
Darrel Curtis - Ponyboy’s oldest brother. Darrel.
Sodapop Curtis - Ponyboy’s happy-go-lucky, handsome brother. Sodapop is the middle Curtis boy. Two-Bit Mathews - The joker of Ponyboy’s group. Steve Randle - Sodapop’s best friend since grade school. Dallas Winston - The toughest hood in Ponyboy’s group of greasers. Johnny Cade - A sixteen-year-old greaser with black hair and large, fearful eyes. Sandy - Sodapop’s girlfriend. Sandy is pregnant with another man’s child and moves to Florida to live with her grandmother. Cherry Valance - Bob’s girlfriend, she is a Soc cheerleader. Marcia - Cherry’s friend and Randy’s girlfriend. Randy Adderson - Marcia’s boyfriend and Bob’s best friend. Bob Sheldon - Cherry’s boyfriend. Paul Holden - Paul and Darry were friends and football teammates in high school. Jerry Wood - The teacher who accompanies Ponyboy to the hospital. Tim Shepard - The leader of another band of greasers and a friend of Dally. Curly Shepard - The fifteen-year-old brother of Tim Shepard. Mr. Syme - Ponyboy’s English teacher. Mr. Syme offers to raise Ponyboy’s grade if he turns in a well-written autobiographical theme. This assignment inspires Ponyboy to write about the greasers and the Socs, and his autobiographical theme turns into the novel The Outsiders.
Theme
The main theme centers on stereo typing based on socioeconomic differences. However, Hinton implies that differences in social class are a surface distinction that is not real. She proposes that beneath these surface divisions that people can find shared interests and goals. Cherry Valance, a Soc, and Pony Boy Curtis, a greaser, learn they share a love of literature, popular music, and sunsets, which bridges the differences between their socio- economic groups.
A secondary theme emerges throughout the story. In this one Hinton proposes that honourable people, no matter what role they are in, have a “code of honour.” Spark Notes’ article on the Outsiders states that: “In particular, we see acts of honourable duty from Dally Winston, a character who is primarily defined by his delinquency and lack of refinement. Pony Boy informs us that once, in a show of group solidarity, Dally let himself be arrested for a crime that Two-Bit had committed. Furthermore, when discussing Gone with the Wind, Johnny says that he views Dally as a Southern gentleman, as a man with a fixed personal code of behaviour. Statements like Johnny’s, coupled with acts of honourable sacrifice throughout the narrative, demonstrate that courtesy and propriety can exist even among the most lawless of social groups.”
Finally there is the under laying theme that females are not to be trusted. Throughout the story the male characters seem comfortable with the surety of how their friends and enemies will react in any given situation. In contrast, when female characters come into play, the dynamics change. For instance, when Cherry behaves in a friendly towards Pony Boy and Johhny the lines blur and problems arise. Even on the greaser side, Sodapop discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant with another man’s child. With these conflicts, Hinton communicates the idea that females are unpredictable and create erratic results. This theme reinforces the idea that males have a code of conduct and honour while females do not. This could be seen as a frightening indicator of social beliefs as it is a theme developed by a young female.
See also
References
- Frequently Asked Questions at sehinton.com
- Hinton, S. E. (2005) . "speaking with S. E. Hinton... p. 162". The Outsiders. Speak/Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-038572-X.
- Frequently Asked Questions at sehinton.com
External links
- S.E. Hinton's Website
- "‘The Outsiders’: 40 Years Later" By Dale Peck The New York Times September 23, 2007
http://www.theoutsidersbookandmovie.com/
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