The Outsiders

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'll cut it quick to the end, "Paul Newman and a Ride" , the story is filled with hope and yet also sorrow. Growing pains suck especially when you live on the wrong side of the tracks. This classic is about the greasers and soc's in small town America. THe greasers wear tuf leather jackets and gel back their hair. Being poor they have few opportunities, Ponyboy's parents have died leaving him to be raised by his brother Darry. Dallas is a tough as nails thug who helps out his neighborhood friends when needed. Johnny is unwanted by his parents and has to crash at other peoples houses when the going gets rough. Many of the kids and parents are hooked in tobacco and booze. The soc's seem to have a great life and get a lll the breaks but underneath the veneer of fancy cars and nice clothes are a set of problems that bedevil soc's even though we never see it.

The story starts out with Ponyboy Curtiss walking home from a show. He is different from other greasers as he likes to read and watch movies. He narrowly escapes getting beaten up. Greasers always have to look out for being ganged up on by soc's. When he gets home there is some friction between him and his older brother darry who raises him now that booth mother and father have expired. Pony boy is best friends with Johnny and he is good friends with Dallas, the neighborhood thug. It ids at the drive in where they encounter Cherry Valence. DSally is rude and Ponyboy is nice. Johnny sticks up for Cherry and her friend when Dallas harasses them at the drive in. From there things progress when Bob Randall on ere of the soc's gets angry that greasers were hanging around with his girlfriend . Bob is really drunk and that is one thing that Cherry cannot stand about him.

THe anger boils into Johnny and Ponyboy getting jumped by the Soc's. Johnyy has been beaten badly by the soc's before and wary of having a repeat experience . As the fight breaks out one of the soc's holds Ponyboy's head underneath a fountain. Johnny in an effort to save his friend pulls out a knife and kills Bob Randall. Both boys flee with the help of Dally, and go to town called Wendrixville. In a small town they both hide away in an abandoned church. After a week Dally comes and gets them. While they are gone the Church catches fire and all three boys rescue some kids trapped in the burning building. Johnny gets the worst of it.

When they get back home there is a huge rumble between the soc's and the greasers, but fighting changes nothing regardless of who wins. Like all violence it will never stop unless some people get sick and tired of fighting. In the end not everyone makes it and some people do die. Loss is a part of life. Ponyboy comes out of the experience changed. In the end it is your education that is the most important things.

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