The Outsiders

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 1967. 

S.E. Hinton’s novel explores social hierarchies and human nature through the opposing worlds of Socs and greasers.  Society labels Ponyboy and his buddies “greasers” because they are poor and present tough, James Dean-esque demeanors, embodied in their clothing and hair.  Their lives are in a constant state of struggle to get by – they fight, drink, and steal; however, Ponyboy is more complicated.  He is intelligent and a dreamer, yet, he cannot escape involvement in a murder and the death of friends. 

In Literature for Today’s Young Adults, an excerpt from Hinton’s article in the 1967 New York Time Book Review states:  "Teenagers know a lot today.  Not just things out of a textbook, but about living.  They know their parents aren’t superhuman, they know that justice doesn’t always win out, and that sometimes the bad guys win.  They know that persons in high places aren’t safe from corruption… and that some people sell out… But give [teens] something to hang onto.  Show that some people don’t sell out, and that everyone can’t be bought.  Do it realistically.  Earn respect by giving it" (7). Hinton is accurate in her depiction of young adults; they do know about living and do not buy into poetic justice, and YA literature should respect the evolving teenager.  Hinton brilliantly exhibits these sentiments in The Outsiders.  She presents a story in which teens can relate; one that explores the ups and downs of adolescence without allowing the reader to lose hope.

Teenagers often and easily categorize one another – for example, Socs vs. greasers; however, Hinton illustrates that stereotypes are often superficial and that all people experience turmoil, even if in different forms.  For example, Cherry Valance tells Ponyboy, “I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made.  The rich kids, the West-side Socs.  I’ll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise.  We have troubles you’ve never even heard of.  You want to know something?... Things are rough all over” (43).  All of humanity suffers in one form or another, and Hinton allows teenagers to understand that people and circumstances are not always as black and white as preconceived notions may be.  Cherry also states that teens are in a constant “rat race,” in which teens are “always going and going and going, and never asking where… It seems like [they’re] always searching for something to satisfy [them], and never finding it” (46).  Hinton encourages teenagers to reevaluate their goals and actions and to find something they actually believe in.  In the novel, both the Socs and greasers fall into the roles society expects of them; yet, through characters like Ponyboy, Johnny, Darry, (greasers), Cherry, and Randy (Socs), the reader learns that wants and fears are universal and that one can, if not easily, transcend labels.  At the end of the novel, hope for both groups is expressed through Ponyboy and Cherry.  Ponyboy asks, “can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?,” in which Cherry replies, “Real Good.”  Ponyboy follows with “You can see it good from the East Side, too” (138).  The Outsiders demonstrates that people can dream from anywhere, regardless of their upbringings or circumstances.

Ultimately, The Outsiders depicts the harsh realities that some low socio-economic teens face; despite the crime and deaths, Hinton shows teens that they do not have to be victims of their fates.  At the end of the novel, Ponyboy finds a letter from Johnny, who explains Robert Frost’s poem.  He explicates that Frost “meant you’re gold when you’re a kid, like green.  When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn.  It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day.  Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony.  That’s gold.  Keep that way, it’s a good way to be… You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want.  There’s still lots of good in the world” (187).  Though teenagers may not be innocent or naïve, they can still be good, and they can still pursue their dreams.  Hinton expresses that teens should never lose sight of themselves or their futures, whether they are well off or not.  Though this novel will probably appeal more to boys and possibly more to lower socio-economic teens, the exploration of human nature and the optimism ultimately evoked should appeal to all audiences.  

Works Cited

Nilsen, Alleen Pace, James Blasingame, Kenneth L. Donelson, and Don L. F. Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print.Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 1967. 

S.E. Hinton’s novel explores social hierarchies and human nature through the opposing worlds of Socs and greasers.  Society labels Ponyboy and his buddies “greasers” because they are poor and present tough, James Dean-esque demeanors, embodied in their clothing and hair.  Their lives are in a constant state of struggle to get by – they fight, drink, and steal; however, Ponyboy is more complicated.  He is intelligent and a dreamer, yet, he cannot escape involvement in a murder and the death of friends. 

In Literature for Today’s Young Adults, an excerpt from Hinton’s article in the 1967 New York Time Book Review states:  "Teenagers know a lot today.  Not just things out of a textbook, but about living.  They know their parents aren’t superhuman, they know that justice doesn’t always win out, and that sometimes the bad guys win.  They know that persons in high places aren’t safe from corruption… and that some people sell out… But give [teens] something to hang onto.  Show that some people don’t sell out, and that everyone can’t be bought.  Do it realistically.  Earn respect by giving it" (7). Hinton is accurate in her depiction of young adults; they do know about living and do not buy into poetic justice, and YA literature should respect the evolving teenager.  Hinton brilliantly exhibits these sentiments in The Outsiders.  She presents a story in which teens can relate; one that explores the ups and downs of adolescence without allowing the reader to lose hope.

Teenagers often and easily categorize one another – for example, Socs vs. greasers; however, Hinton illustrates that stereotypes are often superficial and that all people experience turmoil, even if in different forms.  For example, Cherry Valance tells Ponyboy, “I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made.  The rich kids, the West-side Socs.  I’ll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise.  We have troubles you’ve never even heard of.  You want to know something?... Things are rough all over” (43).  All of humanity suffers in one form or another, and Hinton allows teenagers to understand that people and circumstances are not always as black and white as preconceived notions may be.  Cherry also states that teens are in a constant “rat race,” in which teens are “always going and going and going, and never asking where… It seems like [they’re] always searching for something to satisfy [them], and never finding it” (46).  Hinton encourages teenagers to reevaluate their goals and actions and to find something they actually believe in.  In the novel, both the Socs and greasers fall into the roles society expects of them; yet, through characters like Ponyboy, Johnny, Darry, (greasers), Cherry, and Randy (Socs), the reader learns that wants and fears are universal and that one can, if not easily, transcend labels.  At the end of the novel, hope for both groups is expressed through Ponyboy and Cherry.  Ponyboy asks, “can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?,” in which Cherry replies, “Real Good.”  Ponyboy follows with “You can see it good from the East Side, too” (138).  The Outsiders demonstrates that people can dream from anywhere, regardless of their upbringings or circumstances.

Ultimately, The Outsiders depicts the harsh realities that some low socio-economic teens face; despite the crime and deaths, Hinton shows teens that they do not have to be victims of their fates.  At the end of the novel, Ponyboy finds a letter from Johnny, who explains Robert Frost’s poem.  He explicates that Frost “meant you’re gold when you’re a kid, like green.  When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn.  It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day.  Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony.  That’s gold.  Keep that way, it’s a good way to be… You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want.  There’s still lots of good in the world” (187).  Though teenagers may not be innocent or naïve, they can still be good, and they can still pursue their dreams.  Hinton expresses that teens should never lose sight of themselves or their futures, whether they are well off or not.  Though this novel will probably appeal more to boys and possibly more to lower socio-economic teens, the exploration of human nature and the optimism ultimately evoked should appeal to all audiences.  

Works Cited

Nilsen, Alleen Pace, James Blasingame, Kenneth L. Donelson, and Don L. F. Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print.Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 1967. 

S.E. Hinton’s novel explores social hierarchies and human nature through the opposing worlds of Socs and greasers.  Society labels Ponyboy and his buddies “greasers” because they are poor and present tough, James Dean-esque demeanors, embodied in their clothing and hair.  Their lives are in a constant state of struggle to get by – they fight, drink, and steal; however, Ponyboy is more complicated.  He is intelligent and a dreamer, yet, he cannot escape involvement in a murder and the death of friends. 

In Literature for Today’s Young Adults, an excerpt from Hinton’s article in the 1967 New York Time Book Review states:  "Teenagers know a lot today.  Not just things out of a textbook, but about living.  They know their parents aren’t superhuman, they know that justice doesn’t always win out, and that sometimes the bad guys win.  They know that persons in high places aren’t safe from corruption… and that some people sell out… But give [teens] something to hang onto.  Show that some people don’t sell out, and that everyone can’t be bought.  Do it realistically.  Earn respect by giving it" (7). Hinton is accurate in her depiction of young adults; they do know about living and do not buy into poetic justice, and YA literature should respect the evolving teenager.  Hinton brilliantly exhibits these sentiments in The Outsiders.  She presents a story in which teens can relate; one that explores the ups and downs of adolescence without allowing the reader to lose hope.

Teenagers often and easily categorize one another – for example, Socs vs. greasers; however, Hinton illustrates that stereotypes are often superficial and that all people experience turmoil, even if in different forms.  For example, Cherry Valance tells Ponyboy, “I’ll bet you think the Socs have it made.  The rich kids, the West-side Socs.  I’ll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise.  We have troubles you’ve never even heard of.  You want to know something?... Things are rough all over” (43).  All of humanity suffers in one form or another, and Hinton allows teenagers to understand that people and circumstances are not always as black and white as preconceived notions may be.  Cherry also states that teens are in a constant “rat race,” in which teens are “always going and going and going, and never asking where… It seems like [they’re] always searching for something to satisfy [them], and never finding it” (46).  Hinton encourages teenagers to reevaluate their goals and actions and to find something they actually believe in.  In the novel, both the Socs and greasers fall into the roles society expects of them; yet, through characters like Ponyboy, Johnny, Darry, (greasers), Cherry, and Randy (Socs), the reader learns that wants and fears are universal and that one can, if not easily, transcend labels.  At the end of the novel, hope for both groups is expressed through Ponyboy and Cherry.  Ponyboy asks, “can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?,” in which Cherry replies, “Real Good.”  Ponyboy follows with “You can see it good from the East Side, too” (138).  The Outsiders demonstrates that people can dream from anywhere, regardless of their upbringings or circumstances.

Ultimately, The Outsiders depicts the harsh realities that some low socio-economic teens face; despite the crime and deaths, Hinton shows teens that they do not have to be victims of their fates.  At the end of the novel, Ponyboy finds a letter from Johnny, who explains Robert Frost’s poem.  He explicates that Frost “meant you’re gold when you’re a kid, like green.  When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn.  It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day.  Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony.  That’s gold.  Keep that way, it’s a good way to be… You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want.  There’s still lots of good in the world” (187).  Though teenagers may not be innocent or naïve, they can still be good, and they can still pursue their dreams.  Hinton expresses that teens should never lose sight of themselves or their futures, whether they are well off or not.  Though this novel will probably appeal more to boys and possibly more to lower socio-economic teens, the exploration of human nature and the optimism ultimately evoked should appeal to all audiences.  

Works Cited

Nilsen, Alleen Pace, James Blasingame, Kenneth L. Donelson, and Don L. F. Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print.