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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, but did most of the work when she was sixteen and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the story was published. The book follows two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs (pronounced by the author as "/soʊˈʃəz/", short for Socials), who are divided by their socioeconomic status. The story was actually based on a friend of Hinton's who was jumped for being a "Greaser," which upset her so much she went home that day and started writing "The Outsiders."

The book takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965, but it is never stated in the book.

A film adaptation was produced in 1983, and a little-known short-lived television series appeared in 1990, picking up where the movie left off.

Plot summary

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As the novel opens, Ponyboy, a member of the Greasers gang, is leaving a movie theater when a group of Socs (the abbreviation for "Socials") jump him. Fortunately, his older brothers, Darry and Soda, save him just in time. The following night, Ponyboy and his friends Dally and Johnny meet Cherry Valance and Marcia at a drive-in movie theatre. Ponyboy realizes that Cherry is nothing like the Socs he has met before. The Greasers walk Cherry and Marcia home, and Socs Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson see them and think the boys are trying to pick up their girlfriends. Cherry and Marcia prevent a fight by leaving with Bob and Randy willingly. When Ponyboy comes home very late, Darry gets furious and hits him. An upset Ponyboy runs away and meets up with Johnny again. As they wander around the neighborhood, Bob, Randy, and three other drunk Socs confront them in a park. After Bob nearly drowns Ponyboy in a fountain, Johnny panics and repeatedly stabs Bob with his switchblade, accidentally killing him. Ponyboy and Johnny quickly find Dally, who gives them money and a loaded gun and tells them to hide in an abandoned church so the police don't find them. They stay there for a few days, during which time Ponyboy reads "Gone with the Wind" to Johnny and recites the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost.

When Dally comes to find them, he reveals that the fights between the rival groups have exploded in intensity since Bob's death. Johnny decides to turn himself in, but the boys then notice that the church has caught on fire and several children are trapped inside. When Johnny and Ponyboy rush to rescue them, burning timber falls on Johnny, breaking his back, but Dally rescues him. Ponyboy is relatively unscathed and 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 quite a lot, and is only hard on Ponyboy because he wants him to be as safe as possible and have a good future.

Two-Bit informs Ponyboy that he and Johnny have been declared heroes for rescuing the kids, but Johnny will still be charged with manslaughter for Bob's death. He also says that the Greasers and Socs have agreed to settle their turf war with a major rumble. The Greasers eventually win the fight. After the rumble, Dally and Ponyboy visit Johnny, whom is still in the hospital, and sadly see him die. An overcome Dally rushes out of the hospital and robs a store. He then commits suicide by pointing an empty gun at the cops, so they shoot and kill him. Ponyboy faints and stays sick and delirious for nearly a week. While recovering, he tries to convince himself that Johnny is not dead and that he was the one who murdered Bob.

When Ponyboy finally goes back to school, his grades drop dramatically. Although he is failing English, his teacher says that he still has a chance to pass if he writes a decent theme. In the copy of Gone with the Wind that Johnny gave him before dying, Ponyboy 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. Ponyboy decides to write his English assignment about the recent events and it is hinted that the novel itself is Ponyboy's assignment.

Characters

Greasers

• Ponyboy Michael Curtis: Ponyboy, the main character, is a 14-year-old boy who gets good grades and likes to read, draw, watch movies and do track. He is the youngest Curtis brother of Darry and Soda, and the youngest member of the greasers altogether. Ponyboy is a big dreamer, and does things like watch sunsets that his brothers could never understand. Pony is also a big-time smoker, and smokes about a pack a day. He is the narrator of the book.
• Soda Patrick Curtis: Soda, the middle Curtis brother, is a happy-go-lucky 16-year-old, and he is almost 17. Soda's best friend is Steve. He is friendly, movie-star handsome, and popular. He is also a high school dropout and works at a gas station with Steve. He was in love with a girl named Sandy, and was planning to marry her before her parents moved her to Florida.
• Darrel Shaynne "Darry" Curtis, Jr: Darry, 20 years old and the oldest of the Curtis brothers, is also the oldest greaser. He has been caring for his brothers since their parents died in a car crash three years before the book takes place. He is very serious, works most of the time at two jobs, and often scolds Ponyboy. Darry is athletic and was a good student, but he had to give up his education to care for his brothers and friends so that they wouldn't have to separate and go to boys' homes. He refuses to smoke, even though everyone on his street does it, because he cares too much about his athletic shape.
• Dallas "Dally" Winston: Dally was the roughest of the Greasers. He lived on the hard streets of New York City for three years. He appeared to enjoy being a criminal and thought that the law was a big joke, once being jailed at the age of ten. He was also well-known for smoking cigarettes. His parents didn't care much for him, and he didn't care much for them either.
• Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews: Two-Bit is a tough wise-cracking kleptomaniac, who, according to Ponyboy, "always had to get his two-bits worth in", which is how he acquired the nickname. He also has a fondness for jet black knives.
• Steve Randle: Steve is Soda's best friend since grade school. He's cocky, smart, and loves cars and girls. He doesn't get along with Ponyboy very well, thinking he's just Soda's kid brother who tags along with them all the time.
• John "Johnny" Cade : Johnny was Ponyboy's best friend and the 'pet' of the gang. He was 15 years old and lived with his alcoholic and abusive mother and father who didn't care for him very much at all. He still wished that they would care, even though everyone in the gang said he didn't need them, since he still and always would have the gang. Johnny was the only member of the gang who would do things with Ponyboy, like watch sunsets. He was thought to be stupid by his teachers, when really he just took longer to figure things out, and once he did, he could understand things that no other person could. He could get the meaning of stories and poems better than anyone. Johnny was once jumped and badly beaten up by Socs wearing heavy rings (one of them was Bob). Ever since then, Johnny had been paranoid about the Socs and always carried a switchblade with him. No one in the gang ever got into fights with Johnny.

Socs

• Sherri "Cherry" Valance: Cherry's fiery red hair is what gave her the nickname Cherry. She's a Soc who attends the same high school as Ponyboy and is a cheerleader. Her boyfriend, Bob, is stabbed and killed by Johnny.
• Marcia: Marcia is Cherry's best friend and goes to the same high school as Ponyboy. Her last name was never given.
• Bob Sheldon: Bob was Cherry's boyfriend. He was rich and wore heavy rings (implying that he was the one of the Socs that had jumped Johnny). His life was cut short early on in the book when he was accidentally killed.
• Randy Adderson: Randy was a friend of Bob's and the boyfriend of Marcia. He ends up befriending Ponyboy later on.
• David: David was part of Bob and Randy's Soc gang. He helped Bob attempt to drown Ponyboy in the fountain.

Others

• Jerry Wood: Jerry is the fat schoolteacher responsible for the children that were in the abandoned church. He doesn't seem to mind that Ponyboy, his brothers and his friends are greasers one bit.
• Mr. Syme: Mr. Syme has the minor role of being Ponyboy's English teacher who gives him the assignment of a theme.

Controversy

The Outsiders was and still is a controversial book. It was ranked #43 on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000. This book has been banned from some schools and libraries because of the portrayal of gang violence, underage smoking and drinking, as well as strong language/slang and family dysfunction. However, in many schools today, the book is part of the curriculum for middle school and/or high school. For example, in Ontario, Canada, it is a popular text to read in Grade 8 English and even in Grade 9 Applied English.

See also

• Continuity within S.E. Hinton Novels

References

1. Frequently Asked Questions at sehinton.com
2. Hinton, S. E. (2005) . "speaking with S. E. Hinton... p. 162". The Outsiders. Speak/Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-038572-X.
3. Frequently Asked Questions at sehinton.com
4. "The Outsiders".
5. http://www.blurtit.com/q935006.html

External links

• S.E. Hinton's Website
• "‘The Outsiders’: 40 Years Later" By Dale Peck The New York Times September 23, 2007

• 1967 novels
• American young adult novels
• American novels adapted into films
• Debut novels
• Novels set in Oklahoma
• 1965 in fiction
• American bildungsromans