The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton | Plot Summary

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the plot summary of S. E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders.

Ponyboy, a 14-year-old orphan, lives with his two brothers and is part of a lower-class greaser gang that comes into conflict with the upper class Socs.

The two groups engage in an escalating conflict that culminates in extraordinary violence. In only a week, two of Ponyboy’s best friends die. One will be remembered as a hero and one as a juvenile delinquent.

With all of the trouble, it is unclear if a judge will allow Ponyboy to stay with his brothers. The narrative illustrates both the resilience and fragility of youth and ends on a potentially redemptive note.

American writer S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders was first published in 1967. She was just 17 years old when The Outsiders was published and launched her career. The Outsiders, a novel of youthful dysfunction, is thought by many to have inaugurated the now-ubiquitous YA genre.

Centered on teenaged characters and dealing with the unique struggles of that demographic, it established many of the YA conceits evident in more contemporary works—angst, conflict with adults, a sense of social alienation, and reconciliation with the harsh realities of the world.

The Outsiders contains many powerful themes including the senselessness of violence, as despite the deaths of Bob, Johnny, and Dally, the gang violence continues. Surrogate families are also important, as the greasers choose each other as family, as are class difference and prejudice, as the wealthy Socs and the poor greasers despise each other for being in different classes. Important symbols include hair and weapons.

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