synopsis:

'The Outsiders' is a story that deals with a conflict between two gangs, the "Greasers" from the East Side of town and the "Socs" from the West side of town. The story is told in first person by Ponyboy Curtis.

Ponyboy is a fourteen year old Greaser who wants people to think that he is tough, but behind his bold front he is quite a sensitive person. Since his parents' death, his loyalties have been to his brothers and his gang, the rough, tough, Greasers.

When his best friend, Johnny, kills a member of a rival gang, a nightmare of violence begins and swiftly envelops Ponyboy in a desperate chain of events.

This is the story of two of the Greasers who come to realize that it's not always where you live that decides what kind of person you are. Instead of wallowing in hopelessness they find the strength to grow and find the beauty of the world.

on this book:

Hinton's publishers decided that Hinton should publish her novel under the name 'S.

E. Hinton' in order to cloak her gender. They worried that readers would not respect 'The Outsiders', which features male protagonists and violent situations, if they knew a female wrote it.

The language and details of the novel root the story in the sixties. The novel is set in the Southwest, as evidenced by the fact that many greasers ride in local rodeos. Despite its location in a specific time and place, however, the novel is remarkable for its ability to transcend location. 'The Outsiders' examines the universal urge to form factions, compete, and unite for survival. With only a few minor cosmetic changes, the novel could easily take place in a contemporary setting. This fact has given it universal appeal for the last few decades.

Hinton attempts to humanize the greasers, the outsiders of the story's title, by showing that their exterior toughness masks vulnerability and emotion. She makes both the greasers and the Socs sympathetic and refuses to cast blame on one group over the other.in 1983 a film based on this novel came out, directed by francis ford coppola.