The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel 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 16 and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published. The book
follows two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs, who are divided by their socioeconomic
status. The story in 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 Ponyboy, a member of the Greasers gang, is
leaving a movie theater when a group of Socs jumps him. His older brothers Darrel and Sodapop
and several members of their gang, rescue him. The next night, Ponyboy and his friends
Dallas 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 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. After the Socs nearly drown Ponyboy
in a fountain, a terrified Johnny stabs Bob, accidentally killing him. Ponyboy and Johnny
find Dallas, who gives them money and a loaded gun and tells them to hide in an abandoned
church. 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 Dallas comes to get 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.
Dallas rescues Johnny. 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. Another of the gang, Two-Bit, informs Ponyboy
that he and Johnny have been declared heroes for rescuing the kids, but 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. The Greasers win the fight. After
the rumble, Dally and Ponyboy visit Johnny and see him die. An overcome Dally rushes
out of the hospital and robs a store. When he points his empty gun at the police, 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 is the one
who killed Bob. When Ponyboy goes back to school, his grades
drop. Although he is failing English, his teacher says he will pass him 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". Ponyboy decides to write his English
assignment about the recent events, and begins his essay with the opening line of the novel:
"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: The youngest Curtis brother, 14 years old, gets good grades and runs track.
He is the narrator. Sodapop Curtis: The middle Curtis brother,
16 years old, a high school dropout who works at a gas station.
Darrel "Darry" Curtis: The oldest of the Curtis brothers, 20 years old, has been caring for
his brothers since their parents died in a car crash.
Dallas "Dally" Winston: The roughest of the Greasers, who lived on the streets of New
York City for three years. Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews: A wise-cracking kleptomaniac.
Steve Randle: Sodapop's best friend since grade school.
Johnny Cade: Ponyboy's best friend, 16 years old, lives with his alcoholic and abusive
mother and father. Socs
Sherri "Cherry" Valance: Bob's girlfriend, attends the same high school as Ponyboy.
Marcia: Cherry's best friend. Robert "Bob" Sheldon: Cherry's boyfriend,
he is stabbed by Johnny. Randy Adderson: A friend of Bob's and Marcia's
boyfriend. David: A member of Bob and Randy's gang, he
attempted to drown Ponyboy in the fountain. Others
Jerry Wood: The schoolteacher responsible for the children that were in the abandoned
church. Mr. Syme: Ponyboy's English teacher who assigns
him a theme to write. Controversy
The Outsiders was a controversial book at the time of its publication and is still a
frequently challenged book nowadays. It was ranked #38 on the American Library Association’s
Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999. 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.
See also Continuity within S.E. Hinton Novels
References
External links S.E. Hinton's Website
"‘The Outsiders’: 40 Years Later" By Dale Peck The New York Times September 23, 2007