by S. E. Hinton
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is about the rivalry between two groups on opposite ends in the spectrum of wealth. Ponyboy, our narrator, leads us through two weeks of his life where he contemplates the difference between right and wrong in society. The Greasers, which he is a part of, is a poverty stricken group of boys ranging from adolescents to young adults in age. The Socials or the “Socs”, are a generalization of the wealthy teenagers living on the other side of town.
When the rumor spreads that Ponyboy and Johnny were with girl Socs, the girls’ boyfriends decide to take revenge.They pull up to Ponyboy and start beating him and his friend up, but Johnny had a pocket knife and accidentally killed someone. They run away and deliberate whether or not they should turn themselves in.
I really liked how many meanings this book could take on. Since I read this with my class as an assignment (which was one of the few I enjoyed), we had to analyze and explain what the theme or moral of the story was. When it was time to share, each of us (there’s around 30) had different answers, some following the same path, while some were in another destination. For example, I said that innocence will eventually leave our worlds as we grow older. My friend, Meher, said that you should enjoy things in life when you experience them, referring to Johnny’s regret.
Hinton’s style of writing was also very intriguing. For example, in the beginning, you think that this was a narrative (it is) presently spoken but in the end, it’s revealed that this was a thesis book thingamabob Ponyboy wrote for English. I liked how the beginning and end end with the same phrase, showing that mistakes and events can happen again, but what changes is your perception of it.
I also liked how she included a poem from Robert Frost that gives this book its overall distinguished motif. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is about how special the season of spring is and how even special things can’t stay forever. This can take on many meanings as well.
I would recommend this book to young adults, but older people can still enjoy it. In the movie based on this book, it had many actors who are very famous now and lets you see where they started and how much they’ve improved.