Summary: The Outsiders

Hailey Carrillo

Mrs. Banks

English 10 Honors; A Block

22 March 2016

An “Outsider” The title “The Outsiders” fits perfectly considering that many of the story’s characters are outsiders that don’t seem to fit in. The two social groups: Socs and Greasers have certain standards that their members are expected to meet. The Socs or Social are the rich Westside kids that drive tough fancy cars and prove their superiority by jumping the lower class Greasers who live on the poor East side of town. At first look the members of each gang all seem to blend in like each Soc is exactly the same and every Greaser in just like the other but if you look deeper you can see the true individuality of each character. These character like people in the real

Being the narrator, an insight to Pony’s thoughts and perspective is clearly given. Ponyboy is one of the youngest Greasers, some of his most unique attribute that set him apart are his interest in literature, his more delicate side, and his brain. One of the first things he tells us in the introduction is how he is different from the rest of his gang because he is the only one who enjoys reading so much. As we get to know him more and more we see that he shows a more sensitive side compared to the gang members who always look and act tough; Ponyboy was more innocent and hadn’t been toughened up as much as them. His academic efforts are a rare virtue for someone of his social class. His brother Soda had been a dropout and many of the other guys weren’t too educated but Ponyboy validates his intelligence saying, “I'm… smart; I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything” (S.E. Hinton 8). All of these personal qualities make Ponyboy the person he is and give him his individuality that sets him apart from the gang. The entire novel is a coming to age story that focuses on Ponyboys development; as he grows and mature his opinions and view

It turns out that although Pony expresses his sensitivity more noticeably, all of the tough guys actually have a soft side too. Even Dally who is seen as one of the hardest Greasers breaks down when he loses everything he loves. Darry, Pony’s oldest brother who always wears a firm, straight face cried for the first time in years when thought he had lost Pony. While reading “Gone with the Wind” together, it shocked Pony, “how Johnny could get more meaning out of some of the stuff in there than I[Pony] could—I[Pony] was supposed to be the deep one. Johnny had failed a year in school and never made good grades—he couldn't grasp anything that was shoved at him too fast” (S.E. Hinton 147). Maybe Johnny just hid his intellect to fit in but he certainly had a bright mind when he tried. He also learned to appreciate the “Gone with the Wind” book as he later asks Two-bit to buy him a copy of it. A surprising connection between two rival classes was when Cherry opens up to Ponyboy about watching sunsets. “It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and, the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.”(S. E. Hinton 80) Ponyboy says coming to the realization that the two gangs really aren’t that