THe Outsiders

S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders is the story of a young boy, trapped in a world of poverty, discrimination, crime, and violence. When his world is turned upside down after an accidental death, he learns that the world around him is not as hostile as it first appears, if he is willing to let down his defenses. Through the love and support of those closest to him, the boy finds a positive side of his life that was previously obscured.

The main character in the story, Ponyboy Curtis, is a shy, intelligent fourteen-year-old boy whose life is full of disappointment. Losing his parents at a young age, he is constantly overprotected by his older brothers, Darryl and Sodapop. In addition, the groups of boys have a wide variety of friends, all of whom help them deal with the violent life around them. They are poor, domestic abuse is rampant, as are alcohol abuse and criminal activity. Yet the group of young men manages to create an atmosphere of love and care through their close friendships.

After an argument with his brothers, Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny, have a run in with the Socs, a group of young, wealthy boys who try to attack them. When Johnny kills one of the boys who were drowning Ponyboy, the two find themselves on the run. Looking to their friends for help, the boys ask Dally, a hoodlum who is one of their closest friends. Dally directs them to a church, provides them with money, and a gun.

The two boys hide out in the church, learning more about themselves and their friendship. They bond even closer than before, and have many discussions about their lives, and how things could be changed. When Dally arrives a few weeks later, the two decide to turn themselves in. As Dally drives them back to the church, they realize it is on fire, with a group of children trapped inside. The boys, risking their lives, run into the burning church. Working with one another, they manage to save the children. However, Johnny is trapped inside by a falling piece of burning wood. Dally runs in after him, and all three boys are injured.

While Ponyboy and Dally remain mostly unharmed, Johnny is left with a broken back. Ponyboy, still in a daze about both the killing and the accident, finds himself in the arms of his brothers. In a moment of realization, Ponyboy finally understands, as he watches his normally tough brother cry, that his brother's way of overprotecting is done out of love and fear. Ponyboy finally grasps the idea that without his brother's constant efforts to keep him on track, their family could be ripped apart by social services.

Johnny, who was everyone's pet, passes away, and the group is left with the anger and hatred of the Socs, whom they see as being responsible for the whole ordeal. Yet Ponyboy has learned that it is not the Socs fault, but the fault of all involved. Although he tries to explain this, the group still agrees to have a "rumble" with the Socs. They win, but Ponyboy is hurt. Dally, ripped apart by the death of the one person he loves, finds himself robbing a convenience store. When the police arrive, he pulls out a gun, which the boys know to be unloaded. The police, however, do not know this, and kill him.