The Outsiders
Hey
guys, its Clara back at it again with another book review. This month I read The
Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton. The book is told from the view of Ponyboy
Curtis, the youngest member of a gang in the 1960’s from the less wealthy East
side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The gang is called the Greasers (from the grease put
in their hair.) He lives with his two older brothers, Sodapop, an extroverted
and charismatic high school dropout, and Darry, an invulnerable, steely, hard worker
who acts a guardian for the two of them after the death of their parents. The
Greasers have a rivalry with a higher-class gang on the West side of Tulsa called
the Socs, short for Socials. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy and his Greaser
friends fight for power in their town with the Socs.
Though
much of the book revolves around the gang rivalry between the Greasers and the
Socs, the real center of it is the character development of Ponyboy and how he
comes to understand the world around him. At the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy
already seems desensitized and hardened to the hardships of the world, despite only
being 14. However, he holds a generalized hostile view towards all of the Socs
and doesn’t think of them as humans. Ponyboy categorizes the people closest to
him simplistically as well. He writes off Darry as being a harsh brother that
doesn’t love him, and Sodapop as a happy guy that doesn’t have problems. As the
book progresses, Ponyboy begins to learn more about his fellow Greasers and
family members, pushing him to show more empathy towards the people around him.
This carries over to him softening his views on the Socs, and realizing that
they’re just as human as he is.
However,
this does not stop Ponyboy and his gang from engaging in fights with the Socs,
which is a part of a major theme in The Outsiders about the cycle of
violence. Many events in the plot are driven by acts of violence, which at its
most extreme point, causes two people to be murdered. Ponyboy starts to realize
his role in the cycle, and so do his Greaser friends Randy and Johnny. However,
it is not quite enough for Ponyboy to be able to break free of his role in the
cycle of violence, and he continues to fight hate with hate.
Overall,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The tone of the book was spot on for how
a 14-year-old might narrate, and it was interesting to watch the story of the
rival gangs play out through the eyes of a biased, and occasionally unreliable
storyteller. The length and pace of book kept me interested the entire time,
and there was never a dull moment. I would highly recommend The Outsiders if
you are looking for an exciting and multifaceted story that will linger in your
mind after completion.
Great review! I like how you talked about the character development in this novel as being one of its selling points. Through your writing, Ponyboy sounds like a realistic and engaging character. I think a problem many books have is using a change in the protagonist's ideals and emotions to end the violence and suffering in the book, which ends up creating a forced and plastic storyline. From your review, it sounds like the Outsiders is a much more gritty, realistic story with an ending that would actually happen, yet still has a lesson learned. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good review! I read this book back in 5th grade, and I honestly didn't enjoy it, but this review sparked some interest in it for me. When I was reading it, I never really looked or explored deeper than the surface, or the basic details. You characterized each of the characters very well, and I think you did a good job of describing the effects violence had on the characters and major plot points in the story. Thanks for your review!
ReplyDeleteI read this book for school, but I enjoyed it a lot. The character development was my favorite part for sure. Your review perfectly summarizes the overall theme and story of the book, and makes me want to read it again. Nice job!
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