The Outsiders by S.E. HintonHinton, S.E. 1967. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group. 0670532576 . $17.99. Trade cloth.
Annotation:
Ponyboy and his borderline juvenile delinquent friends, the Greasers, get hassled by the privileged Socs. When his friend Johnny kills one of them in Ponyboy's defense, they all must deal with the consequences.
Awards:
New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967
American Library Association Best Young Adults Books, 1975I can see why The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a classic young adult novel. The characters express many dimensions and have a lot of insight into their motivations and circumstances. Through the course of the book Ponyboy gains understanding about a lot of things in his world: the fact that even people who seem to have everything can be very unhappy, the reason behind why his oldest brother is so hard on him, and that the price of being “tough” and successfully surviving in the Greaser world is to lose your heart or “goldenness” and your chance of succeeding in the rest of society. The observations that he makes and the way that he grows during the book are an experience that, as a reader, is worth taking.
The title, “The Outsiders” refers to how Ponyboy’s social group, the “Greasers” are set apart from the rest of society. Maybe they were initially ostracized because of where they live and who their parents are, but they choose to band together, embrace the Greaser identity and rebel against the people who label them. In the scene where the gang is getting psyched up for the big rumble with the socs they actually chant statements that people have used to characterize them:
“Greaser…greaser…greaser” Steve singsonged. “O victim of environment, underprivileged, rotten, no-count hood!”
Through most of The Outsiders, Ponyboy sets himself apart from the other Greasers. He states that he doesn’t really like some of the people in his gang, the girls they associate with, or approve of their actions. He accepts the label and the Greaser look because of loyalty and rebellious pride. At the end of the book, circumstances overcome him and he starts to turn “tough” on the inside to match what he’s been trying to project on the outside. It is finding Johnny’s note, explaining Robert Frost’s poem that turns him back. “Stay gold” means to hope, to pay attention and notice the good in the world, and to let yourself feel. It means to not accept the limitations that society is trying to put on you and believe that you can do something fantastic one day.
The title, “The Outsiders” refers to how Ponyboy’s social group, the “Greasers” are set apart from the rest of society. Maybe they were initially ostracized because of where they live and who their parents are, but they choose to band together, embrace the Greaser identity and rebel against the people who label them. In the scene where the gang is getting psyched up for the big rumble with the socs they actually chant statements that people have used to characterize them:
“Greaser…greaser…greaser” Steve singsonged. “O victim of environment, underprivileged, rotten, no-count hood!”
Through most of The Outsiders, Ponyboy sets himself apart from the other Greasers. He states that he doesn’t really like some of the people in his gang, the girls they associate with, or approve of their actions. He accepts the label and the Greaser look because of loyalty and rebellious pride. At the end of the book, circumstances overcome him and he starts to turn “tough” on the inside to match what he’s been trying to project on the outside. It is finding Johnny’s note, explaining Robert Frost’s poem that turns him back. “Stay gold” means to hope, to pay attention and notice the good in the world, and to let yourself feel. It means to not accept the limitations that society is trying to put on you and believe that you can do something fantastic one day.
Book cover image from the Aurora Public Library: http://www.library.aurora.on.ca/
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