LS 5623 Advanced Literature for Young Adults

Hinton, S.E. 1995. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Books.
ISBN 0143039857


Ponyboy is a 14 year old "greaser" who lives with his two brothers after their parents die. Despite being labeled as a "greaser," Ponyboy makes good grades; but he doesn't always think through the consequences of his actions. Greasers, kids from the poorer side of town who wear their hair longer and with grease, constantly clash with the "socs," rich kids who have so many things handed to them in life that their lack of want actually leaves them wanting and unfeeling. One night things go too far and the consequences leave their mark on greasers and socs alike.

I was browsing through a few Amazon reviews for this novel and decided to read a few of the one star ratings. Many of the reviewers were young adults who condemned it because it promoted violence and gang activity. They seemed to miss the point that the violence was a symptom of a deficiency in the needs of these young adults who are trying to find themselves and their way in the world. The story is told entirely from the point of view of Ponyboy, whose parents have been dead at least six months at the beginning of the story. These two characteristics are two of the qualities outlined by the Exeter University researchers. I chanced to listen to a portion of the audio book read by Jim Fyfe, who captured the dialect exceedingly well. When I sat down to read I found that the text of the novel flowed just as easily, as though I could hear Ponyboy speaking in my head.

There are many themes woven throughout the novel. Perhaps the most obvious one is that of brotherhood. It is shown by how Ponyboy's brothers sacrifice education in order to keep him living with them and to give him opportunities they won't get. It is shown by their "gang," who may not always get along, but always band together against a common enemy. It is shown by Dallas and Johnny, who've each had rough lives and bonded through the identification of the other's pain. It is even shown by the socs in the conversation Ponyboy has with Randy, the friend of the socs that Johnny killed.

Hinton gives us a great symbol to show the reader that Ponyboy has lost his innocence in this story. During an early encounter with the socs, one of the gang hands Ponyboy a broken glass bottle to fight with even though both acknowlede in the end that he would never have used it. After the major events of the novel when Ponyboy finds himself confronted with socs once more, he doesn't hesitate to break the glass bottle to threaten them off. Two-Bit, one of the gang, notices that he really would have used it this time. In order to reassure us that Ponyboy isn't completely hardened, the author has him pick up the glass from the bottle so that no one else steps on it.

Perhaps the most succinct review I've read so far comes from the March 1990 issue of Booklist. "Peer relationships, poverty, sacrifice, and a search for self underlie this story about Pony~boy, Sodapop, and Darrel--"greasers" who face death, defeat, and socioeconomic struggles." As evidenced by a few negative reviews from Amazon, this book may not please all young adults but it is worth the read and recommended for 6th grade and up.





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