The Outsiders
Book Review
The Outsiders is a fictional story written by S.E Hinton in 1967. By now, it has been recognized as a classic, due to its awards and how long it has existed. It’s theme can be described as dramatic and moving, while also contemporary and current, despite being written forty-three years ago. It’s main theme however, is about how a boy growing up into a man.
The story takes place in Oklahoma, but it is most certainly not set in any “good” neighborhood. No, The Outsiders is mainly set in the slums and ghettos of the state, showing life from a different perspective at the time it was published. Ponyboy Curtis is our main character, our hero. Living with his brother Darry as the man of the house ever sense the death of his parents, Ponyboy, being only 14 years old, began to understand just how hard surviving in the world is. Not only are they struggling to get by, but social workers are threatening to put Pony and his brother Soda in a boys home, thinking that Darry would not be a suitable parent for each of them. With that thought bugging in his mind, Ponyboy had to make sure he kept his nose clean. In addition, they just happen to be aligned with a gang, The Greasers. The Greasers were the punks and hoods of society, poor, but with a strong brotherly bond. Often they were mugging others that roam through their territory and caused mild mischief, but with the cops strongly cracking down. Ponyboy was not like most of them though. The young Greaser liked to read, write, and draw, but most of all, think and watch the sunset.
The Term Paper on Ponyboy And Johnny Greasers Dally Darry
... Setting Ponyboy Curtis, the ... -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. ...
He was the most sensitive one out of them all. Yet, they had somehow managed to spark a fierce hatred with another gang, The Socs. The Socs were the exact opposite of the Greasers. Rich, Selfish, and almost never were help responsible for their actions. This infuriated the Greasers, often causing many brawls to occur. However, one day, things went too far. Johnny, a Greaser with a strong relationship to Ponyboy, came to his rescue when a group of Socs began to drown Pony in a fountain. Without thinking of any repercussions, Johnny stabbed the Soc with a switchblade, which ultimately saved Pony’s life, but ending another. Without any hesitation, the two Greasers ran away from the city into the country, hoping to hide out as long as they could until the cops gave up the search. With the help of some Greasers, Johnny and Ponyboy managed to hide out in an old abandoned church. Yet, just when they were planning on going back to the city to turn themselves in, and after leaving the hideout to get a breath of fresh air, the church had been set on fire from a stray cigarette from either Pony or Johnny (both whom engaged in underage drugs).
To make matters worse, children who had been playing in the church were trapped and at a large risk of being burnt alive. Playing heroes, the two Greasers managed to save the children, but, as usual, at a cost. After Pony had left the church and waited for Johnny to follow, a large piece of wood from the church roof crushed Johnny, breaking his back. With the help of a fellow Greaser, Dally, they managed to carry him out before he was burnt to a crisp. The Greasers were coined as heroes, which really lessened their punishment from the law from their acts before. Pony managed to make a physical recovery, but Johnny was not so lucky and eventually passed away. This left Pony in a state of depression, blaming himself for Johnny’s death. The other Greasers were hurt as well, (some more hurt than others.) Before his death, Johnny had given Ponyboy a word of advice. “Stay Gold Ponyboy…..Stay Gold.” Unsure of what that had meant, Ponyboy didn’t find a clear answer until he opened up the book he received from Johnny seconds before his death, Gone With the Wind. Before he had seen this message, Ponyboy began to fail school due to his depression, and was given one more chance to pass his English Class. Planning to just blow it off, he had a sudden revelation as he found the message in the book. It described what Johnny had meant about his “Golden” message earlier. It had told him to live his life, follow his dreams and be happy, staying on a straight path. Keeping those words close to his heart, Ponyboy was inspired to write his paper for English, which was coincidentally the story itself. He then pursued to follow Johnny’s divine wish, following his heart and remaining “Golden.”
The Essay on Johnny Greasers Ponyboy Socs
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. This book is about two go ups of people who live in the same large city, but who had completely different natures. The first group the 'Socs " are mean, stuck up, rich snobs. For fun they beat up on the Greasers. Which leads me to the Greasers. They are 'lower class' they come from the hood (the not so good part of town. ) This book is a fiction story dealing with ...
This story was a really strong and moving experience for me, teaching me how strong friendship is and how just being there for someone is quite possibly the greatest thing you could do. I felt very sad after Johnny had passed away, feeling that he of all characters did not deserve to die. He was my favorite character and I really appreciated how much he did for the ones he loved. But, his death to me had a strong purpose. It gave growth and maturity to Ponyboy, something that seemed impossible throughout the book. Pony learned how to appreciate life and move on through dark times. Also, the book was a very gritty and interesting tale, quite different from many other books I have read and I almost think that this story was the basis and inspiration for many other works that I have seen.
Those who would enjoy this story would be people who are looking for something different than the regular norm. The Outsiders provides many twists and unexpected story that many other novels lack. It was truly and original gem that is no surprise that it won so many awards and commendations. Those who seek to learn more about the rougher parts of the world, need to read this book. However there are a few things that I would change in my opinion. Some characters do not get much development, like Steve, Two-Bit, Tim Shepard, and Randy. If the story had been in more depth with the others, it would be even better. Regardless of that though, The Outsiders is still a solid, original, thrilling novel that is definitely a treat for all who wish to read.
