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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, and 18 when it 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 book takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965.

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 is leaving a movie theater when he is jumped by a group of Socs. He is saved from the attack by his older brothers Darry and Sodapop. The night after, Ponyboy and his friends Dally and Johnny, meet Cherry Valance and Marcia at a drive-in movie theater. Ponyboy realizes that Cherry is nothing like the Socs he has met before. The greasers walk Cherry and Marcia home, and on the way, Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson see them and think the boys are trying to pick their girlfriend up. Cherry and Marcia prevent a fight by leaving with Bob and Randy willingly. When Ponyboy comes home very late, Darry gets angry and hits him. Ponyboy runs away and meets up with Johnny. As they wander around the neighborhood, Bob, Randy, and three other drunk Socs confront them in the park. Ponyboy is nearly drowned in a fountain by David, so a terrified Johnny stabs Bob, accidentally killing him and scaring away the other Socs. Ponyboy and Johnny run to find Dally, who gives them some money and a loaded gun and tells them to hide in an abandoned church on top of Jay Mountain in Windrixville. 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 two rival groups have exploded in intensity since Bob's death. Johnny decides that he wants to turn himself in, so they start to leave for home. As they leave, 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. Dally rescues Johnny from the burning church, burning his own arm along the way. 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, and is only hard on Ponyboy because he wants him to have a good future.

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. He also says that the Greasers and Socs have agreed to settle their turf war with a major rumble. 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, but are all wounded, including Ponyboy, who 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, the greasers get a phone call from Dally, who has robbed a grocery store. Moments later, Dally commits a twisted form of suicide, which leads the greasers to 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 tries to convince 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. 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: Paul Newman and a ride home..."

Characters

Greasers

• Ponyboy Curtis: Ponyboy is a shy, quiet 14-year-old boy who gets good grades and likes to draw and read. He is the youngest brother of Darry and Sodapop.
• Sodapop "Soda" Curtis: Sodapop, the middle brother, is 16 years old, friendly, handsome, and popular. Unlike with Darry, Ponyboy has a very close relationship with Soda.
• Darrel "Darry" Curtis: Darry, the oldest brother at 20 years old, and has been caring for his brothers since their parents died in a car crash. He is very serious, works most of the time at two jobs, 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: Dally is the roughest of the Greasers. He lived on the hard streets of New York City for three years. He appears to enjoy being a criminal and thinks that the law is a big joke. He is well-known for smoking cigarettes.
• Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews: Two-Bit is a 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 knives.
• Steve Randle: Steve is Sodapop's best friend. He's cocky, smart, and loves cars.
• Johnny Cade: Johnny is Ponyboy's best friend and the 'pet' of the Greasers. He's 16 years old, and lives with his alcoholic and abusive 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 switchblade.

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. She's a cheerleader. Her boyfriend gets stabbed and killed. She also loves Dally.
• 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 is Cherry's boyfriend. He is rich and wears heavy rings (implying that he was the Soc that had jumped Johnny). He gets killed early on in the book.
• Randy Adderson: Randy are friends of Bob's and the boyfriend of Marcia.
• David: David is part of Bob and Randy's Soc gang.

Others

• Jerry Wood: Jerry is the schoolteacher responsible for the children that were in the abandoned church.
• Mr. Syme: Mr. Syme has the minor role of being Ponyboy's English teacher who gives him the assignment on 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 most schools nowadays, the book is part of the curriculum for middle school and/or high school.

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. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086066/
5. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096673/
6. 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