The Outsiders

1. The Outsiders To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. --ee cummings

2. Setting • Oklahoma • 1960’s • West Side vs. East Side of Town • the drive-in theatre • the lot • the church at Windrixville • the Curtis house • the hospital

3. Characters • PONYBOY CURTIS • JOHNNY CADE • DALLAS “DALLY” WINSTON

4. PonyboyCurtis • narrator • good student • fourteen years old • likes watching sunsets and reading (Gone with the Wind, Great Expectations, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”) • Greaser • sensitive • Darry says Pony lacks common sense--doesn’t always “use his head”

5. Johnny Cade • the “pet” of the gang • sixteen years old • physically small • lives in an abusive household • has been jumped by the Socs before and now carries a blade with him • Dally is his hero • stabs and kills Bob

6. Dally Winston • tough • lived in New York City • has been in jail • helps Pony and Johnny hide out after the murder of Bob • robs liquor store at the end and “commits suicide” at the hands of the police

7. Minor Characters • Sodapop Curtis • Darrel “Darry” Curtis • Sherry “Cherry” Valance • Bob • Randy

8. Sodapop • older brother • works at gas station • handsome • carefree

9. Darrel “Darry” Curtis • oldest brother • athletic • guardian of Ponyboy when their parents die in a car crash • makes chocolate cake for breakfast • stern • could have gone to college but had to take care of the kids when his parents died

10. Cherry Valance • Bob’s girlfriend • cheerleader • has red hair • says she could fall in love with Dally • acts as a spy for the Greasers • says she will probably not talk to Pony if she sees him at school--he says he understands • likes to look at sunsets too

11. Bob Sheldon • a Soc • Cherry’s boyfriend • has beaten up Johnny Cade before the novel starts • wears rings on his fingers; this is how Johnny knows Bob is the Soc who beat him up • is stabbed by Johnny

12. Randy • Bob’s best friend • After Bob’s death, he has a change of heart about fighting • visits Pony and tries to make peace with him

13. Themes (Be able to explain and support these) • FAMILY • FRIENDSHIP • SOCIAL DIFFERENCES • VIOLENCE/GANG RIVALRY/SENSELESSNESS OF VIOLENCE • BEING AN “OUTSIDER” / TRYING TO FIT IN

14. Conflicts • Man vs. Man (Ponyboy vs. Darry; Greasers vs. Socs; Johnny vs. Bob) • Man vs. Society (Socs vs. Greasers) • Man vs. Himself (Dally vs. himself; Ponyboy vs. himself) • Man vs. Nature (the boys vs. the fire)

15. Great Expecations: Pony compares himself to Pip from this novel; Pip, like Ponyboy, is an orphan trying to find his way in the world. Gone with the Wind is the book the boys read while at the church. Johnny compares Dally to a Southern gentleman which is how Johnny views Dally, as a hero. At the end, the note from Johnny to Pony telling him to “stay gold” falls out of this book. Ponyboy’s Literary World

16. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is the poem that Pony and Johnny talk about at the church. The poem means that nothing good can last forever. Just as the golden times in the poem come to an end, so too must their time at the church. To Johnny, it means to appreciate the things one finds amazing when one is young. He wants Pony (and, sadly, Dally) to look for sunsets and the good things in life. Ponyboy’s Literary World

17. The Ending of the Novel • What makes it unique? • What does it show us about the way Ponyboy has dealt with all the events that have happened to him?

18. Slang Within the Novel • cancer stick=cigarette • JD=juvenile delinquent • booze=alcohol or beer • heater=hand gun • fuzz=police • jumped=to be attacked • rumble=gang fight • hoods=thugs (not Greasers) • lift=to steal

19. Allusions(Be able to define allusion) • Paul Newman • Dairy Queen • Corvette/Corvair • Hank Williams • madras plaid • drive-in theatre • Gone with the Wind • “Nothing Gold Can Stay”