The Outsiders

The Outsiders

S. E. Hinton

 

The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. Ponyboy and his two brothers — Darrel (Darry), who is 20, and Sodapop, who is 16 — have recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. Pony and Soda are allowed to stay under Darry's guardianship as long as they all behave themselves. The boys are greasers, a class term that refers to the young men on the East Side, the poor side of town. The greasers' rivals are the Socs, short for Socials, who are the "West-side rich kids."

Setting

The setting of this book takes place in the mid-1960s in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Plot

Ponyboy Curtis belongs to a lower-class group of Oklahoma youths who call themselves greasers because of their greasy long hair. Walking home from a movie, Ponyboy is attacked by a group of Socs. The Socs, short for Socials, gang up on Ponyboy and threaten to slit his throat. A group of greasers come and chase the bullies away, saving Ponyboy. Ponyboy’s rescuers include his brother Sodapop, a charming, handsome high-school dropout, and Darry, Ponyboy’s oldest brother. The rest of the greasers who come to Ponyboy’s rescue are Johnny, a sensitive sixteen-year-old; Dally, a hardened street hood with a long criminal record; Steve, Sodapop’s best friend; and Two-Bit, the oldest and funniest group member.