S. E. Hinton broke new ground in young adult fiction with the publication of The Outsiders. The novel’s gritty, realist portrayal of teenage life was striking, as was the fact that it was written by a teenaged woman. Hinton has stated that she wrote The Outsiders because it was the kind of story that she wanted to read. Tired of books filled with clichés and obligatory happy endings, she longed to write stories about real people with real problems, hoping to earn the respect of her audience by giving them stories to which they could relate.
Hinton started a trend in young adult writing, which became a battleground for readers, parents, teachers, and librarians. Debate raged over whether The Outsiders and the books that followed in its footsteps were too realistic for their own good. Such books portrayed issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, death, and divorce. Parents, educators, and critics of realism worried that they could encourage bad behavior in their readers. These criticisms tended to be based on simplistic analyses of books’ content, so that The Outsiders was seen as a story about teenage violence, rather than a story about the characters and how they dealt with
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In Ponyboy’s first meeting with Cherry Valance, she tells him “Things are rough all over.” Later in the story, Ponyboy asks her if she can see the sunset on the West Side of town. When she says yes, he tells her that he can see it on the East Side, too. When Ponyboy first meets Cherry, he thinks of her as just another Soc, wondering how a cheerleader who drives a Corvette could possibly have problems. By the end of the story, Ponyboy’s question about the sunset is an acknowledgment that, while the worlds they live in are very different, there are still things in each that are the same and that provide common
Many might think that all teenage or young adult books would be filled with happy thoughts and positive things, but you don't learn lessons from everything being perfect. That’s where banned or challenged books come along. A challenged book is a book that has been requested by many to be moved off a library's shelf. A banned book is a challenged book the has been removed from the shelves. The Outsiders was one of the best-selling books of its time and has won 5 awards since. It was banned and challenged for many reasons by many school districts. By examining its usage of expose on family dysfunction, strong language and portrayal of gang violence, it is clear why some would have it banned.
The movie, The Outsiders, starts with the Curtis parents on their weekly, Saturday evening drive to the baking store to buy some ingredients for their boys’ favorite Sunday morning, breakfast treat: chocolate cake. The Curtis boys love their chocolate cake for Sunday breakfast not only because they love it, but also because they appreciate how hard their parents have to work to save the monies necessary for the morsels that put smiles on their faces!
Before the shift in his life, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit were walking Cherry Valance and Marcia to Two-Bit’s house from the drive in so that they could drive the girls home. On the way there, Ponyboy and Cherry started talking about each other’s lives like Pony’s brothers, the Greaser and Soc quarrel, and Soda’s horse, Mickey Mouse. They also talked about sunsets when Ponyboy thought, “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” (Hinton 40-41). He starts to realize that there is no difference between people because they were all human on the inside. All of them should be able to live together and should be helping each other out, but instead fight over nothing like children. By this point, Ponyboy is starting to expand and grow from his own little realm and feud between the Greasers and Socs. However, this feud caused a series of events to lead to the death of Johnny, Dally, and Bob. Bob’s death causes Johnny and Pony to run away, but the church they were staying at caught on fire from a cigarette. There were a group of children in there because they were having a school picnic and were playing inside. They were there at the wrong moment, although Johnny and Ponyboy were there to save the kids. In the heat of
After hearing a brief description of the story you might think that there aren’t many good things about they story. However, this is false, there are many good things in this book that makes it a good read. First being that it is a very intriguing book. This is good for teenage readers because often times they don’t willingly want to read, and this story will force the teenage or any reader to continue the book and continue reading the series. Secondly, this is a “good” book because it has a good balance of violence. This is a good thing because it provides readers with an exciting read. We hear and even see violence in our everyday life and I believe that it is something teenagers should be exposed to. This book gives children an insig...
The changes that the directors made to “The Outsiders” movie were eye opening to fans of the novel, The Outsiders. One of the differences between the two is the fact that Dally’s character and death was not the same as described in the novel. Another difference between the two would be the character’s description and Bob’s roll on drowning Ponyboy. There are some similarities such as the outcome of the church’s fire and the fate of the characters. The film adaption of The Outsiders, share many key points and scenes however, because the film was condensed there are many gaping holes in the plotline.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about two gangs, the Socs and the greasers who are fighting each other. In the book there are many themes but the most important one is “Stay Gold’. Now on to my thesis statement. My thesis statement is “Stay Gold”, that means nothing lasts forever and you should enjoy the moment.
A hero is someone who is admired for his/her courage and his/her need to help others. Some examples of heroes are Spiderman, Superman, Ironman, Superwoman, and Batman. However, the real heroes are strangers that risk their lives to help others. The book, The Outsiders, shows several heroes that sacrifice their own safety for the greater good. This book centers around the gang, greasers, and the feud between the greasers and Socs. Three characters that show enormous courage and save multiple lives are Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally. In S.E Hinton’s The Outsiders, Johnny, Ponyboy, Dally emerge as heroes because they all risk their lives for another.
One example of Ponyboy being sensitive would be when he picks up the pieces of the broken glass so that no one would get a flat tire. This character can also be described as smart when Darry tells him how intelligent he is and that he has the brains to get a scholarship and go to college. Finally, this character can be considered brave when he risks his life to save the children stuck in the burning church. In this book, Ponyboy learns to deal with the right and wrong of society. He grows up and was judged by his appearance and social status, but at the end of the book, the two gangs overcome their differences to realize they are more alike than they
In “The Outsiders” Ponyboy Curtis had never been exposed to the positive aspects, of the oppositional group the Socs. This a major encounter that leads to a strong dynamic change. He only identifies them as having hatred for Pony’s group, the greasers. Ponyboy states, and believes, that they are just the stuck-up rich kids who get “all the breaks” because they drive the fancy cars, and where the expensive clothing. All Ponyboy has ever known is the negative associations with the Socs. As the novel progresses, soon Curtis begins to see the other side of the Socs. He understands that, even as hard as his life seems to be, he knows that Socs have their own problems with the greasers, and other negative affiliations. He gains a strong understanding of these problems after having a conversation with Randy. When Two-Bit demands to know what Pony boy’s conversation was about: “What did ‘Mr. Super-Soc want?” and Ponyboy smoothly responds “He’s not a Soc. He’s just a guy who wanted to talk.” It is this perspective, that forces Pony to realize, that Socs and
It is unthinkable for two dissimilar characters to have so many connections, but can it happen? S.E. Hinton certainly puts this claim to the test with her novel The Outsiders. Two characters, Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade, seem to be vastly unalike at first glance, but despite their differences, they also have similarities. They are similar because they both have abusive parents and they both care about each other. However, Dally and Johnny have opposite personalities and different views about laws. Consequently, Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade are tremendously different, while so alike at the same time.
Does the situation a person is in dictate that person’s behavior? Can two people experiencing the same problems become vastly different because of it? In S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, there are two characters that fit these conditions. Dally Winston and Johnny Cade both have extremely abusive parents and care about the other like they are their own brother. Yet, at the same time, Dally has grown up to become a tough criminal while Johnny has grown up to become weak and timid. Dally also believes that being tough like him is the best way to be, whereas Johnny believes being sensitive like him is the best way to be. Therefore, Dally Winston and Johnny Cade have significant similarities and vast differences.
After the church fire Ponyboy comes to the realization of many things. Two-Bit and Ponyboy are eating at a restaurant known as Tasty Freeze when Randy asks to speak with him. Ponyboy tells Randy, ¨Maybe you would have done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual¨(115). He finds out that you cannot define someone based on of they are part of the Socs or the greasers. Furthermore, he finds out that every one is a individual and that means that just because he is a part of a certain group it does not mean that they are all going to react or perceive a situation in the same exact way. In addition, he say this to Randy because when there was a fire in the church Dally was not willing to risk his life to save someone else's when Johnny and Ponyboy were more than willing to help the kids. This shows event shows how all Greasers and Socs are not the same. In the beginning of the novel Ponyboy believed Darry disliked him and thought he was a nuisance. However, later on at the hospital Ponyboy tells Darry, “I’m sorry” (98). Ponyboy’s words expose how he feels bad for thinking Darry disliked him all along when in truth he loved him more than words could describe. He realizes that Darry fears losing another family member that is why he is so overprotective of Ponyboy. Hence, proving Ponyboy is clearly a dynamic character.
The Outsiders is a novel by S.E Hinton, that follows a young boy named Ponyboy who grows up in a gang. Johnny, Sodapop and Darry help him find how he fits into the world and without them he would have a hard time finding his own identity. Without having a close group of friends he would have a tough way of life, especially with the Socs. Being in a group that you associate with, that have different values to yourself can lead you to disregard your own ethics and do things you wouldn’t normally do, but at the same time this can assist and reinforce your own values…
My recommendation for this book would be that this book is just a fun read, nothing to serious. But yet it's a book were its easy to relate to were a lot of the situations that happen in the book happen in young teenage life as well. Like for example the desperation to fit in. kids will do most likely anything to be part of "the cool group" hopefully not take some sort of pill that will talk to you in your head. But other things like being pressured into talking drugs. Sneaking out of the house to go to some party and not coming back until the next day at dawn without getting caught. These days we do so much and our parents know so little.
The main character Ponyboy opens up and shows who he really is to only a few people. These special people are Cherry Valance and Johnny. One of the major secrets or traits of Ponyboys true self would be sunsets. In particular sunsets are something that both people he opened up to heard about. In Johnny's case, when him and Ponyboy were up in the church outside of town, Ponyboy told him about his love for sunsets. Then later in the book after Johnny dies, Ponyboy reads his letter and in that letter Johnny wrote, “...the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be.” Just like Johnny, Cherry Valance was graced with Ponyboys trust and told her about his secret love for sunsets. However unlike Johnny who just listened