The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton
Table of Contents
Plot Summary
The narrative is an account of two gangs, the greasers and the Socs. The greasers are the down-and-outs who are less socially advantaged and are described by the Socs as being more "emotional." They are distinguished by their long, greasy hair, leather jackets, and worn clothes. Many of them have dropped out of school due to an inability to afford its tuition, or are otherwise living under straitened conditions. The Socs generally come from wealthy backgrounds. They wear semi-Beatle haircuts, dress in showy ski jackets, and drive expensive cars. Even their girlfriends, being more refined, are different from those of the greasers. Cherry describes them as being more "sophisticated—cool to the point of not feeling anything" (46).
The two groups have an ongoing feud with the Socs, traumatizing Johnny before the opening of this story. Their almost drowning him had an enduring impact on Johnny and psychologically changed him into a fearful, often cowering boy.
Ponyboy Curtis is the youngest of three orphaned brothers who are allowed to stay together as long as they keep out of trouble with the law. Their parents have been killed in a car crash. Darrel, the oldest and their assumed protector, seems tough to Ponyboy, but as the story progresses, Ponyboy discovers that Darry's rough veneer exists out of concern for his brothers—particularly for Ponyboy, whom he believes can graduate if he would only try.
Sodapop, the second oldest, is Ponyboy's special brother. He is handsome and courageous. Ponyboy admires him. Sodapop has a girlfriend whom he adores but who jilts him somewhere along the way.
At the beginning of the narrative, Ponyboy is walking home by himself one day when he is jumped by the Socs. Not long afterward, he encounters Cherry and Marcia, two beautiful Soc girls, and finds that their experiences are ultimately not so different from his. Their socioeconomic conditions might be dissimilar, but their fundamental experiences are the same.
Ponyboy is jumped in a Soc ambush. Johnny defends...
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