The Outsiders
by S. E. Hinton
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Book Reviews of The Outsiders
Book Review: Classic "Us vs. Them"
Summary: 3 Stars
in a sentence or so: in a timeless "us vs. them" set in the 1960s, the rival groups of the greasers and the socs experience ever-increasing tensions that eventually bubble over and result in death.
the book is narrated in a journalistic first-person style by Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy is a 14 year old greaser (lives on the east side, lower income) who lives with his two brothers, Darry and Sodapop. the Curtis boy's parents are dead, which means that they are all they've got left. well, each other and the rest of their gang. life is anything by easy for Ponyboy and the other greasers. especially for Ponyboy, who is a natural athlete and smart, he realizes he is against all odds to make something of himself. he sees the challenges his older brothers face in using their gifts - Darry has to stay home and make ends meet instead of going to college, and Soda, while genuinely loving his job as a mechanic, realizes that he wants more for his brother Ponyboy.
tensions between the greasers and the socs (short for socialite, the upper-class west side kids) have always been high strung, but after Ponyboy and another greaser are spotted with two of the Soc's girlfriends at the movies, it unleashes a rage and sets into motion a series of events that are tragic, intense, and challenging.
what struck me about this book was how much it felt like a character study. each time Ponyboy would discuss someone or introduce a new character, i not only got a description of their hair, eyes, dress, and any distinguishing features, but i also got an insight into the core of their being. each character, especially the greasers, were dissected and evaluated.
something that i really appreciated about this book was how Ponyboy dealt with the stress and trauma of the events. without giving spoilers, i will simply say that how he reacted to the tension and the fallout of the various confrontations fits into the character-study feel to the book overall. we see who Ponyboy really is in how he reacts to the intense drama, and we learn what sets him apart from the other greasers.
fave quote: "'You can't win, you know that, don't you?' And when I remained silent, he went on: 'You can't win, even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before - at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing. It doesn't prove a thing. We'll forget it if you win, or if you don't. Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it's the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs...' " (117)
fix er up: okay - i realize i am totally in the minority here, but i thought this was slow, cheesy, and predictable (except for the realistic reaction to trauma near the end by Ponyboy). now, i realize that the value of this story is in what it represents (the struggle of us vs. them, overcoming obstacles, finding your true self, etc.) and that it is one of the most challenged books ever because of the repeated drug/alcohol/violence by young people, and i even know that it was written by the author when she was 15-16. that doesn't change the fact that i literally almost gagged when someone told Ponyboy to "stay golden" with his final breaths. yes - i know it was in reference to a poem and it was special...but that seemed cheesy beyond all belief to me. it's not that i don't think that thugs/greasers can't appreciate Robert Frost or even be a fan of sunsets, it just didn't come off as believable to me in this book - despite the fact that they are based on real characters (says S.E. Hinton).
Book Review: The Outsiders - a book review
Summary: 4 Stars
When S. E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders, she wrote a great book. It started with a fight that led you into the book's central conflict of "socs" versus "greasers". These two groups battled it out all the way through the book and, in the middle of it, there was murder, runaways, accidents, bravery, and death. In the end, The Outsiders really brings home the importance of friendship and how it can get you through the toughest of times. I really enjoyed the book, and I think others will too. While it's geared toward teenagers, I feel that other ages can relate to it also; the problems encountered are universal.
The narrator, a young greaser named Ponyboy, tells you his account of everything as he saw it in 1967, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The rowdy group of greasers he calls family never had a dull moment. Whether Pony was with his brothers, Sodapop and Darry, or with Johnny, Two-bit, Steve, and Dally, there was a feeling of family among the group. This is probably because none of the boys really had great family lives: Pony's and his brothers' parents were dead; Johnny's parents were cold and heartless; and Dally didn't really have a family. I don't know if they would have made it through the times ahead if it wasn't for how close they were.
From the very beginning, it was evident that the central conflict is socs versus greasers. While there were a few insignificant fights between the two groups, there was a constant reminder of Johnny's run-in with some socs. He was injured so badly that he carried a knife with him from then on. However, one night was taken too far. Pony and Johnny had decided they were going to run away, but their plans were shattered when a large group of socs drove up. The socs held Ponyboy under water and were going to drown him. When Johnny realized this, he pulled out his knife and used it. Pony and Johnny knew they couldn't stay there anymore, so they went to find Dally and get his help. I suppose, in a sense, they got what they wanted - they were running away.
Pony and Johnny hid out in an abandoned church in the country for a week before Dally came to visit them. It was then that Johnny announced that they were going to turn themselves in. Dally thought they were crazy, but his concerns were pushed away when they all realized that the church they had been hiding in was on fire. The three of them rushed to the scene and learned that there were children trapped inside. Instantly, Pony and Johnny were in the burning building saving the kids. It was evident that Johnny was happy doing this. In the end, all the kids were out safely and, just as the boys were climbing out, the building began crashing down. The three of them - Pony, Johnny, and Dally - were rushed to a hospital. Pony was released quickly, but Dally would have to stay in for a little while; he would be fine though. Johnny, however, had gotten the worst of it. If he survived, he would be paralyzed. It was a tough time, and Dally took it the hardest. Johnny was the only thing he had ever loved.
Three people were dead in one week. The toll this took on the remaining greasers was a phenomenal one, and they could only turn to each other for support. The strong friendship among them was the only thing that got them through. This book definitely got its message across that friendship can help you through almost anything, and the characters that portrayed this were excellent. I enjoyed this book very much, and I know others will too.
Book Review: Stay gold, Ponyboy
Summary: 5 Stars
The first of the first. Not only is this the first teen novel ever recognized as such, but it is also one of the first books publicized as, "About teen-agers, for teen-agers, by a teen-ager" (according to the original hardback's bookflap). Written by a seventeen year-old girl, cleverly hiding her first name behind initials as so many female authors still do (paging J.K. Rowling). The book is still taught today and has slowly graduated from a contemporary tale using new slang and terms to a historical view of kids living in an urban setting before the massive takeover of drugs and electronics.In this book, the lines are clearly drawn. You are either a Greaser or a Soc. Socs are rich over-privileged kids (all white) given too much license and too little interest by their parents. Hinton suggests that the only way they can "feel" is to fight the Greasers in the town. Why anyone in their right mind would want to fight a Greaser is beyond me. Greasers are the poor kids (all white) that live on the wrong side of the tracks. Everyone's familiar with the stereotypical John Travolta in "Grease" type character. They're harsh and mean but, as we see in this tale, they have good hearts every one. Our hero is one Ponyboy Curtis. Apparently 1967 was the last year you could be named "Ponyboy" and not get daily thrashings from your peers for having such a la-de-dah name. With his crew of fellow Greasers and friends, Ponyboy's a great student and a nice guy. When he gets involved in a game of murder by bad luck, he's finds himself on the run with fellow innocent wide-eyed Greaser Johnny. From this experience the two learn what is really important, and Ponyboy finds the strength to tell the story of this friends and their lives.
The idea that this book was written by a seventeen year-old is still shocking to me. There's a real maturity to the text, no question. Sure, some ideas are pounded into the reader over and over until you're completely sick of them. But the characters really do exhibit a sense of affection for one another. You believe that Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry are brothers. You understand the love Dally felt for the puppy dog-like Johnny. The book does take on a kind of "West Side Story" track at certain times, no question. On their way to a rumble, the characters actually burst into song ala "Officer Krupky". And where are all the minorities? Severely lacking (and therefore making this book less of a great choice to teach in high schools these days).
Hinton, being a woman, has an odd take on females in this book. Ponyboy is not interested in the girls in his social set. Greaser girls are, according to him, too harsh and unfeminine. The Soc girls, on the other hand, are just his type. Personally, I was a little offended by the idea that the richer a girl is the more desirable she becomes. But what's a classic tale without some archaic elements?
It is a little hard to forgive the slang of this book at times. But compared to some other slangy novels, this one's pretty good. There is the occasional, "You dig okay", and other unfortunate phrasings, but they're kept to a bare minimum. I'm not surprised this book is taught in high schools around the country either. Swearing is non-existent and violence is, while common, deplored. This is a pretty darn squeaky clean story. Fortunately, it's eminently readable and somewhat deserving of its status as a "classic".
Book Review: WPMS rox!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Between gang wars to murders, Ponyboy has to live through it all. How hard will live get if you need to bleach your hair and run from the police? Ponyboy has many problems that he needs to face in the book The Outsiders, written by the author S.E. Hinton. Ponyboy a normal everyday boy, passing in school and to get in trouble everyday or two, but the hardest thing in his live is to be part of a gang called the greasers. Wearing their hair slick back and a leather jacket, jeans and a white shirt. Ponyboy is the weakest in the gang, but he is also is the youngest in the gang. Only the middle-class and upper class hates them. The upper class has the biggest problem they were known as the socs, short for the socialites. They think the greasers are no good. The socs are known to drive mustangs and to drink lots of whisky.
Ponyboy is the youngest in the family and is being raised by his two brothers (Sodapop and Darry) since their parents died many years ago. Darry is the leader of the gang and is all tough and is known to not get in trouble but that is the opposite of sodapop he is known to get in a lot of trouble with his friend twobit. Ponyboy is the smartest of them all because they were forced to drop out of school to get a job and get money in the house. Well it seems like it all went well, through the time until many of the greasers were being founds with blood gushing from their heads, and cuts over their body and to later find out that the socs were behind this all. The socs soon tried again against two younger boys Johnnycake and Ponyboy, they started to drown Ponyboy so johnnycake helped him but it wasn't something smart (this was when the climax was reached)... Read the book to find out the ending. Later on a new problem was unraveled, there was going to be a rumble, but the only weapons to use were your fists, the first gang to leave loses, well they did as told but it wasn't the socs and the greasers who went to the fight. The greasers had many other gangs had been on their side, like two other gangs from other towns. Ponyboy ended up getting thrown around, and many people have brought the rule, people came out with bloody noses and even a black eye. Although Ponyboy was the youngest he had to help his friend Johnnycake out, since he was down one arm since he was in a fire earlier that month. One gang soon left.... Read the book to find out!
The author has done a great job and effort to make this book. S.E. Hinton has made this book interesting by adding the lingo that many kids use today like "We ain't going to lose" and stuff like that. S.E. Hinton has many mouthwatering moments in this book and it is the hardest thing to do is put the book down, that is like impossible.
My group and I came to a decision that this book is recommended to kids from the grades of 5^-8th. This book teaches you the right from wrong. And by reading this book it will help you to stay out of trouble all of high school, it will make you think that "Should I do that and what are the consequences?"
This book review has been made from the school of Highland, also known as White Plains Middle school. White Plains, New York. I suggest you go to your local library and grab a copy of this book, if you don't you will miss out on a lot of cool and exciting stuff.
Book Review: ~Day of the life~
Summary: 3 Stars
A reader's first impression of The Outsiders will probably be that the story is fiction. But you will soon see it so much more then that. It's a story of suspense, hetaerism, fighting. The Outsiders starts off when Pony, Dally, Johnny, and the rest of the gang go to the movies. While being at the movies, Dally was trying to hit on a girl that happened to be a Soc named Cherry Valence. Pony then says sorry for Dally being so rude. Cherry respects the apology. Cherry then wonders why Pony hangs out with such a bad influence. Pony tells her he's a greaser. Meanwhile, after the movie ends Pony and Johnny offer to walk the girls' home, but they said their "boyfriends" might see them. The girls do end up walking home with the two boys, but as they're walking, the girls' boyfriends then show up and threatened to hurt the boys if the girls didn't go home with them. The girls ended up going home with the Soc boys.
Then a little bit later in the story, Pony goes home from sleeping outside. Pony is worried because it is late and he does not want to get in trouble for falling asleep outside on accident. When Pony gets home, Dally is awake and was very angry that Pony was home so late. Dally was so mad he hit Pony. After Pont got hit, Pony ran out of the house, and found Johnny and ran to the park. While being at the park, some Soc's drove up and started to be mean, they tried to drown Pony and Johnny then stabs one soc. After Johnny stabs the Soc, all the other Socs ran away.
Then towards the middle of the story its gets interesting, Pony and Johnny knew from killing the Soc something bad would have happened. They thought they would say something to the police. So Pony and Johnny run away to a church that Dally told them about. Dally gave them 50$ to buy food for a week. When they ran away to the church Johnny told them they had to change there physical appearance. So when Johnny went to buy the food, he bought peroxide, and a book. So Johnny tells pony that he needs to wash and cut his hair. Pony doesn't want to he likes his hair long, and the grease is a trademark. Well pony had to dye his hair and cut it and Johnny just had to cut it. When they got bored they read, Gone with the Wind. After a few days in the church Dally went to go visit them and see how they were. Dally took them out to lunch. When getting back to the church they noticed that it was on fire, and there was little kids in there. So Pony and Johnny go and try to save then, but Dally gets angry because they are supposed to be hiding out but now their going to be hero's.
Now the ending, it gets sadder, from all the fire in the church Johnny get a 3rd degree burn. Pony and Johnny got hurt and ended up in the hospital. It comes to find out Johnny dies. And Dally ends up going crazy, and robs a bank and then commits suicide. Pony thinks that he can't go on, he best friend is dead and he doesn't do as good in school.
In my opinion, the book didn't have a lot to offer, it teaches you nothing really about the importance of life except for the whole Johnny thing. It basically teaches you about fighting. But in one way I think it had something to offer. It ended up OK, the "gangs" got along and it was all good.