Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Lukasz


"There are worse things than being a Greaser," says Ponyboy, when he thinks about his life in the book, The Outsiders. Even though his circumstances were difficult because he and his brothers struggled to put food on the table, Ponyboy learned about compassion and self worth. The Outsiders, a story about gangs and social classes, shows how one does not have to be financially rich to be a valuable person. It does not matter who you are, it is what you are inside.
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, is a fictional story based on a real life experience by the author. The story of this book is happening in Eastville, on the east coast of the United States of America in the time of the 1950s. The author, S.E. Hinton, who was seventeen when she wrote this book, did an amazing job in describing the reality of gangs. Her characters are so full of details that they seem to be standing right next to you. For example, Ponyboy said that Dally looked like a lynx with his high cheekbones and narrow face. S.E. Hinton uses colorful imagery for people, emotions and settings.
The author's name begins with S.E. because she wanted to disguise that she was a woman, otherwise people would not read her book. In the 1950s, in U.S. society, female writers would rarely be published because women were considered less capable. Moreover, people would doubt that a woman would know so much about gangs which usually contain males.
The Outsiders describes Greasers and Socs, two rival gangs. The narrator of this story is a boy named Ponyboy, who is fourteen years old, and a Greaser. Greasers are the poorer teenagers of the town, who are not spoiled little brats who get whatever they want. The spoiled youth who have madras shirts and drive fancy cars are the Socs. Most of the Socs enjoy getting drunk at parties and then having fights with Greasers.
The main characters of this story are all Greasers. First of all, there is Ponyboy, who narrates the story. He has two older brothers, Soda and Darry. He is a good student, athletic, and observant. Since he narrates the story in first person, you feel as if you are a part of the story. He is compassionate but does not always think before he acts. For example, he rushed into a burning building to save the children.
Ponyboy's older brother, Soda, dropped out of school deliberately and works at a gas station so that his family could enable Ponyboy to attend school. Soda thinks about others before he thinks about himself. For example, he intervenes when his brothers quarrel, and tries to bring up their morale. Soda believes that you always have a place in life for some fun. "Soda tried to take the policeman's gun out of the holster and made everyone grin because he has the ability to cheer anyone up."
Then there is Darry, the oldest of the family and also in charge of it, who works long hours to be able to nourish his brothers. He dropped out of school, even though he was the best football player and received a scholarship, to support his brothers. The parents of all these boys are dead from a car accident. Darry represents courage and unselfishness. "Darry worked two jobs and would come home so sore that he could not lay down."
Johnny is abused by his parents who hit him for nothing anytime, and only finds refuge in his gang. He is very close friends with Dally because Dally believed that Johnny was special. "We were used to seeing Johnny being banged up-his father clobbered him around a lot, and it made us madder than heck." Johnnys personality is very insecure and scared because he has no one who he can confide in.
Dally is a boy who does not like to obey the rules. He is ruthless. According to the narrator of the story, Ponyboy, "He was tougher than the rest of us--tougher, colder, meaner." However, he has a soft spot for Johnny because Johnny has an unhappy childhood and is abused.
I think this book is a must -read. Every student should read The Outsiders because this book shows the reality of gangs and teenagers should learn about it. The reality is that kids are abused and need someone to turn to. Also, children do not always have a happy childhood. The purpose of The Outsiders is to tell people that gangs can be a family in a positive way. This book is also very easy to understand and the vocabulary is not hard for middle school students.
The Outsiders can be inappropriate for little children because of the reality which is very harsh. The topic of gangs is inappropriate for children under ten. The book defines streets fights with details and therefore there is some killing and rough language. Child and alcohol abuse also happens, which sets a miserable tone to this book.
In conclusion, this elaborate story goes deep into the lives of several boys in a gang. If you want to read this book, you have to understand that you might be taken aback by it because of the intense, violent details. But otherwise, this serious, emotional tale will change your point of view about people who you think are mean and losers. The Outsiders will tell you that everyone has a seed to sow.