"The Outsiders" by SE Hinton

Essay by nghoihinHigh School, 10th gradeA, April 2007

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I had recently read a book called "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton. It is about two gangs which come from very different backgrounds. The first gang was called the Greasers. This gang was recognised by the grease which they wore to hold back their long hair, hence the gang name. Greasers came from an unfortunate background, where many families had been separated. Whereas the second gang called the Socs came from good homes with rich families, large houses and good clothes. The novel is told through the eyes of the main character, Ponyboy who is also the narratorPonyboy had many painful and traumatic experiences, including witnessing 3 of his friends being killed, 2 of them were his close friends. The first death was Bob. He was killed whilst with a group of other Socs including Randy. They started a fight with Ponyboy and Johnny. Johnny saw the Socs trying to drown Ponyboy, so he panicked and stabbed Bob with his switchblade which he died from.

Johnny and Ponyboy then both go on the run from the police. At this point Ponyboy discovered that both Socs and Greasers had troubles and problems in their lives.

The second death was Johnny's, which was partly connected to the death of Bob because Johnny and Ponyboy had fled to an abandoned church in Windrixville. After living there for some time, they returned to the church to find it in flames. Amongst the panic and mayhem, they heard that small children were trapped inside the blazing church. With a rush of adrenaline, they entered the church and rescued the children. In the process of rescuing the children, the roof collapsed on top of Johnny, crushing his back. This, he never recovered from. Johnny's death affected the whole gang because he was thought...