The Outsiders By: S.E. Hinton

1. The OutsidersBy: S.E. Hinton Published in 1967 Richard Garcia

2. Setting • The book was set in the mid-1960’s, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. • It was set from the poor side of town, which helps to show the reader the viewpoint of Ponyboy. • If the setting was different then the reader’s opinion about the main characters could have changed.

3. Characters Ponyboy Johnny Physical- 16 year old greaser, long black hair and black eyes. Personality- Quiet, sensitive and caring. Quiet – he is shy. Sensitive – he was beat by his dad. Caring – Saved Ponyboyslife and the children from the burning church. • Physical- Long tuff hair, greenish grey eyes and light brown almost red hair. • Personality- Smart, quietand kind. • Smart – skipped grade or two. Quiet – didn’t talk much. Kind – saved children from the burning church.

4. Conflict • The Socs vs. The Greasers • Man vs. Man • The rival between groups of teenagers who were from different parts of town, the Socsfrom the rich part and the Greasers from the poorer part. • This conflict shaped and set up the whole story.

5. Summary of Plot • The Outsiders shows that nothing can come between these teenagers because they are as close as a family. • Their love for each other is like a brother’s and is unconditional. • It tells you that no matter how a person “lives”, whether rich or poor, they are all the same.

6. Theme The Greasers conflict between the Socs is violent. • Ponyboy is walking home and gets jumped by the Soc. • In the park, the Socs try to kill Ponyboy so Johnny stabs one of them badly. • One of the Socs beat up Johnny badly causing his face to be covered in blood.

7. Point of View • It is in first person, through Ponyboy. • It allows you to understand the emotions, situations, and conflict between the Socs and Greasers from one of the Greasers point’s of view. • You would think differently of Ponyboy and all the Greasers if it was in the point of view of a Soc.

8. Symbolism The yin yang sign symbolizes the relationship between the Socs and the Greasers. The differences between the two groups of teenagers is obvious, but when you take a step back you see the two groups really make up a whole together, and they aren’t as different as they thought they were.

9. Recommendation • The book is worth reading because of all of the suspense and situations the characters are in. You really get the view of a teenager in the situations, and understand the conflict.