1. Title.
The Outsiders
2. Author's biography.
About S. E. Hinton
S. E. Hinton was born July 22nd, 1948 and is an American writer of juvenile and children’s literature. Recognized for works such as "That Was Then, This Is Now", "Taming The Star Runner", "The Outsiders", this being her first and greatest success.
Her full name is Susan Eloise Hinton; she used the initials of her names because she believed that no boy would believe the plot of her novel The Outsiders (about gang warfare) if they knew that a woman had written it.
3. Summary.
Brief and based on main ideas.
Ponyboy Curtis belongs to a lower-class group of Oklahoma youths who call themselves greasers because of their greasy long hair. Ponyboy Curtis is attacked by a group of Socs, the greasers' rivals. The Socs are upper-class youths from the West Side of town. Ponyboy's rescuers include his brother Sodapop, a charming, handsome high-school dropout. The rest of the greasers who come to Ponyboy's rescue are Johnny Cade, 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.The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny go to a movie with Dally. The Socs attack Johnny and Ponyboy, and one of them holds Ponyboy's head under the frigid water of a fountain until Ponyboy blacks out.
Darry and Sodapop come to get Ponyboy, and the two make up. The newspapers declare the boys heroes, and say that because of Bob’s death, Johnny will be charged with manslaughter. Judge decides that they should be sent to juvenile court. He says that Cherry, who feels partially responsible for Bob's death, has been acting as a spy for the greasers.
When Ponyboy and Two-Bit visit Johnny in the hospital, Johnny seems weak. Randy tells Ponyboy that he is sick of all the fighting and does not plan to go to the rumble that night. Sodapop says he (Sodapop) is angry and frustrated because of the tension at home. On the way home, Two-Bit and Ponyboy see Cherry.
4. Characters: favorite one. Why?
Darrel Curtis, the oldest brother of Ponyboy. AKA "Superman." who keeps the family together. He takes on the role of an authority figure for Ponyboy as the greasers' unofficial commander. Twenty-year-old greaser Darrel, often known as "Darry," is parenting Ponyboy after their parents were killed in a vehicle accident.
The one you disliked and why.
Bob Sheldon, Cherry’s boyfriend. He beats up Johnny before the novel begins who has a set of three heavy rings, which he wears when he fights greasers and his indulgent parents have never disciplined him.
5. Conclusion
This is the story that definitely signaled the starting point of the new subgenre from narrative regarding Young Adult Novels (YAN), but the most remarking aspect concerning this story is the fact on how they perceive youngsters that have no one who really care for them (Any strong parental role model) as people who are outcasted and in a search for acceptance, ending as parts of those gangs that make them feel part of something important.
How lost somebody might feel to get himself riddled with bullets by officers who even didn’t realize that Dally Winston was unarmed? You please, draw your own conclusions.
6. Would you recommend it or not? Why?
I would recommend it, despite being very long, I found it entertaining and I really liked seeing how the characters develop, it is not a flat story. It is easy to sympathize with the story since it deals with very common problems among young people, such as love, romance or fights, in this case the greasers with the Socs.
By Andrés Plata and
Mario Sandoval,
Step 11 Yellow
