Ponyboy Curtis, the fourteen-year-old narrator, lives with his older brothers Sodapop and Darry, since their parents passed away in a car accident. They are all members of a Greaser gang, meaning they are considered hoods or juvenile delinquents by society. Other than being financially and socially disadvantaged, the Greasers' main problem is getting jumped by the Socs, the rich kids from the West Side. The other members of the Greaser gang are Johnny Cade, Dally Winston, Two-Bit Mathews, and Steve Randle.
One night at the drive-in theater, Ponyboy, Johnny, Two-Bit, and Dally meet Cherry Valance and Marcia, two Soc girls whose boyfriends have left them there. Ponyboy makes a connection with Cherry because they can both appreciate sunsets; it is a bond that crosses their social boundaries and links their worlds. On the walk home, Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson, the girls' boyfriends, accost the group and take the girls home.
Later that night, Ponyboy and Johnny accidentally fall asleep in their favorite vacant lot. Ponyboy runs home, but when Darry scolds him and hits him for the first time, he goes back to find Johnny. They are jumped by Bob, Randy, and other Socs, and during the fight Johnny stabs and kills Bob to stop him from drowning Ponyboy in a fountain. Panicked, Ponyboy and Johnny find Dally, who they know will help them. He gives them some money and a gun and tells them to get on a train to Windrixville and hide out in a deserted church.
The Outsiders is a 30+ year-old movie, there isn’t a lot of value in reviewing the story, directing, acting, etc. These many years later. Some people will like it, some won’t. I saw it for the first time in early 2017 on one of those obscure old-movie channels on cable and got hooked. Use this CliffsNotes The Outsiders Book Summary & Study Guide today to ace your next test! Get free homework help on S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, essays, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton tells the story of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis and his struggle with right and wrong in a. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze. The rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, only heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other.
Ponyboy and Johnny stay at the church for about a week, during which time they cut off their long Greaser hair as a disguise and subsist mainly on baloney. Dally comes to meet them eventually, and takes them out to get burgers. While they are out, Johnny decides to turn himself in. But when the characters get back to the church, they find it's on fire. A school group had been having a picnic there, and some children are trapped inside. Ponyboy and Johnny run in and save the children, but Johnny is caught across the back by a burning piece of timber.
Soda and Darry come to the hospital to pick up Ponyboy, and they learn that Dally's arm is burned and Johnny is in critical condition. The boys go home because there is a rumble against the Socs that they need to attend. Ponyboy feels sick, but decides to go to the rumble anyway. Dally escapes from the hospital to fight in the rumble, and the Greasers win.
Dally takes Ponyboy back to the hospital to visit Johnny, who is dying. Before he dies, Johnny tells Ponyboy, 'Stay gold,' meaning he shouldn't lose the innocence of childhood, and should avoid becoming hardened like Dally. Dally is extremely emotional after Johnny's death, since he loved Johnny, and runs off. Ponyboy is feeling even sicker, but has to go home and tell the rest of the gang that Johnny is dead.
Dally calls the Curtis house from a payphone to say that he's robbed a grocery store and the cops are chasing him. The whole gang runs to the vacant lot, and sees Dally approaching from the other side, followed by cop cars. Dally pulls out his gun on the cops, and they shoot him, killing him. Ponyboy passes out and is delirious and sick for the rest of the weekend.
He wakes up in bed, and is in denial over Johnny's death. He has to go to court to testify about the events surrounding it, and is acquitted and allowed to continue living with Darry and Soda, rather than being sent to a boys' home. But things are not the same for him; his world is upside-down, and his grades start to slip. Darry confronts Ponyboy and brings up his failing grades, and a huge fight commences between them. Soda is upset by all the fighting, and runs out of the house.
Darry and Ponyboy find Soda in the vacant lot, and he tells them he can't stand how they fight all the time, since they'll only survive if they stick together. All they have is each other. Darry and Ponyboy hadn't realized their fighting upset Soda so much, and they vow to get along and take care of each other. Ponyboy has to decide what to write about for his semester theme in English class, and he decides to write The Outsiders as a warning to other boys at risk to turn their lives around before it's too late.
Summary: Chapter 1
Ponyboy Curtis, the narrator, begins the novel with astory: he is walking home one afternoon after watching a Paul Newmanfilm, and his mind starts to wander. He thinks about how he wantsPaul Newman’s good looks, though he likes his own greaser look.He also thinks that, although he likes to watch movies alone, hewishes he had company for the walk home.
Ponyboy steps back from his story to explain that walkingalone is unsafe for greasers, the East Side gang of friends to whichhe belongs. When they walk by themselves, greasers attract the harassmentof Socials, or Socs, the rich West Side crowd. Ponyboy says thatgreasers are poorer and wilder than the Socs, whom the newspaperscondemn one day for throwing parties and praise the next day forgood citizenship. Greasers wear their hair long and put grease init. They dress tough, steal, and get into gang fights. They oftencarry switchblades, mainly to help them stand their ground againstthe Socs.
Ponyboy says he does not participate in typical greasermischief because his oldest brother, Darrel (known as “Darry”),would kill him if he got into trouble. Ponyboy’s parents died ina car crash, so the three Curtis brothers live together by themselves,an arrangement possible only as long as they stay out of trouble.Twenty-year-old Darry acts as head of the family. He is strict withPonyboy and often yells at him. Despite his intelligence, Ponyboylacks common sense, which frustrates Darry. Ponyboy feels greataffection for his sixteen-year-old brother, Sodapop, whose charmand cheerfulness he admires.
Ponyboy returns to the story of his solitary walk afterthe movies. As he walks, he notices a red Corvair trailing him.He quickens his pace as he remembers how badly the Socs beat hisfriend Johnny Cade. The Corvair pulls up beside Ponyboy and fiveSocs climb out and surround him. One of them asks, “Need a haircut,greaser?” and pulls out a blade. The Socs begin to beat up Ponyboy,who screams for help. Ponyboy’s brothers and the rest of their group appearon the scene and chase away the Socs. Darry starts to scold Ponyboyfor walking home alone instead of calling for a ride, but Sodapoptells him to stop nagging.
The Outsiders Characters
The brothers and the other greasers make plans forthe following night. Ponyboy decides that he and Johnny will goto a double feature at the drive-in with their friend Dally. Dallybegins to talk about his ex-girlfriend, Sylvia, and Ponyboy thinksabout the girls that socialize with the greasers. He wonders whatit would be like to spend time with an upper-class Soc girl.
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At home, Ponyboy, who loves to read, reads GreatExpectations and thinks about how his life resembles thelife of Pip, the main character in Great Expectations. Stillshaken by his fight with the Socs, Ponyboy climbs into bed withSodapop. The brothers talk about Sodapop’s girlfriend, Sandy, whomSodapop hopes to marry one day.
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