The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

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Bibliographic Information:

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

ISBN: 0-670-53257-6

1967 The Viking Press, New York, NY

Plot Summary:

This book begins with poor kid Ponyboy getting beat up by rich kid “socs” as he walks home from a movie. Ponyboy’s gang of “greasers” come in and run the “socs” off. This sets up the social construct of the poor kids in a rural Oklahoma community versus the rich kids.

Ponyboy and his brother Sodapop are under the guardianship of their brother Darry because their parents were killed in an accident. They have their gang, including buddies Dally and Johnny, to keep them secure.

One night, when Ponyboy ends up in another confrontation with Socs, Johnny pulls a knife and a Socs ends up dead. Because of the fight, Ponyboy and Johnny go on the run.

While they are on the run, the tide turns for them. They save school children from a burning building and are viewed as heroes, but Johnny is fatally injured in the fire.

The cycle of violence continues, as Dally lashes out by robbing a store.

Ponyboy writes this story to try and reach out to other kids who feel like outsiders.

Critical Evaluation:

The theme of this novel is feeling like an outsider. That perspective affected how the Greasers viewed the world. They never felt like they could get a fair shake because they were outsiders. That fact was not going to change.

Ponyboy is in adolescence and he has already lost his parents. He is poor. His brother has to work two jobs to support him. The oppression he feels is common among adolescents and the theme of the outsider recurs in a lot of teen literature.

Another theme in this novel is that of family love. Family love is based in unconditional acceptance. When Pony and Johnny get into trouble, Dally is there to help them out. Darry does what he has to in order to support his brothers because that’s what family does. Sodapop contributes by working and they all support each other.

In spite of the greasers being outsiders, their family unit makes them secure. They will always be insiders in their own family.

Pony sees absolutes in his world. The Socs will always win, he will always lose. Greasers are outsiders. The law will always be against them. This is another common feeling among teens. There aren’t variances in the teen mind, only extremes. In the end, family is also absolute.

Reader’s Annotation:

In the battle between the Socials and the Greasers, Ponyboy is an Outsider.

Author Information:

S.E. Hinton, was and still is, one of the most popular and best known writers of young adult fiction. Her books have been taught in some schools, and banned from others. Her novels changed the way people look at young adult literature. You can read more about her here.

Genre(s):

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

American Literature

Booktalk Ideas: 

Combining this battle with books about other social imbalances would make a great theme.

Reading level: Grade 7+

Interest age: 12+

Challenge Issues: Challenge Defense File

Why I chose this book: 

This book is widely recognized as one of the first young adult novels. The literature for LIBR 265 mentioned it.