AUTHOR

Nationality: United States of America

Biography: 

Susan Eloise Hinton (Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1950) is an American writer of juvenile and children's literature.

She studied at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. She wrote profusely in her teens in the face of the inability to find books she really liked in the libraries of her hometown. At the age of seventeen he published his first novel, Outsiders (Rebels, 1967), which was a great critical and public success and was quickly translated into several languages, selling a mundial of more than nine million copies in a single year; in 1983 it was made into a film.

Book's link:                                       

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=cmljaGxhbmQyLm9yZ3xsYXdod3xneDoyNjgzNWEzYzVjNDUxOWZi

SIPNOSIS

 THE OUTSIDERS

 
                                                

The Outsiders (1967) is a well-known juvenile novel by American writer S.E. Hinton. It tells the story of the situation in New York city.  This story tells how young people have a liberal life among gangs.

The story of Ponyboy Curtis, 14 years old, and his two older brothers, Soda and Darry. The boys are orphans and struggle to stay together in their lower-class neighborhood, known as East Side. 

CHARACTERS

MAIN CHARACTERS

Ponyboy Curtis:

He is the main protagonist of the story. He is 14 years old.  He is a young man quite passionate about reading books in which he cannot share the same hobby with his brothers and friends. He lives immersed in the imaginative world of his books.

       Soda:  He is the middle brother of the Curtis family. He is 16 years old

 Darry: He is the older brother of the Curtis family. He is 20 years old. Being the oldest he has to protect his younger siblings; he has to act like a father. Dally has many fights with Pony.

Johnny: He is a 16-year-old boy. She is a victim of domestic violence. Her father abuses her physically and her mother verbally. That's why she distrusts people and is afraid even of her shadow.

Two-Bit Matthew:

 He is the oldest of the Greaser gang. He is constantly being funny. He tries to get the attention of others, as he is not able to at home.

Dallas Winston:He is the leader of a group of greasers. Dallas, known as "Dally", is a teenager who lives and moves between gangs in New York. 

SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

Bob Sheldon: Bob is Cherry's boyfriend, whom Johnny kills when Bob tries to drown Ponyboy.

Cenefa Sherri "Cherry": Cherry, a Soc girl, is Bob Sheldon's girlfriend. She meets Ponyboy and Johnny at the movies.

Randy Adderson. He is Marcia's boyfriend and Bob's best friend. He is a Soc who realizes the futility of fighting.

Marcia: She is Cherry's friend and Randy's girlfriend. She is not mentioned as much as her friend. She doesn't like her boyfriend to drink.

Sandy: She is Soda's girlfriend. She is poor, but nice. Soda wants to marry her.

Father and mother of the Curtis family: Both died in a car accident in their forties. 

CHAPTER 1

This book talks about the lives of the young poor ones who belong to the gang of the greasers, (it is a lower class, it always has fights, they steal things, they drive old fake cars, and rob gas stations).

The plot is set in Manhattan, which is a district of New York where a park called Central Park and a river called the Hudson River meet. The plot is divided into two bands is that the Socs are very wealthy and live on the west side, and they try to impose their wealthy class and have control of the territory, on the other hand, the greasers have few resources, and they try to survive as they can, even if they have, they commit crimes, and they live on the east side.

The greasers are poorly dressed, with tattered clothes and very long hair, and they live in a slum. While Socs wear fine cotton shirts, they have cars and live in a millionaire neighborhood.

The story is narrated by the protagonist Ponyboy Curtis, a young man belonging to the urban gang of the greasers. He is a 14-year-old boy who belongs to the lower class of the city of Tulsa (Oklahoma), along with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry. His parents died in a car accident. The rest of his gang are his two friends of his Johnny and Two-bit.

CHAPTER 2

The brother's Ponyboy and Dally along with Jonny went out together to a drive-in movie but suddenly they saw two super cute girls and big brother Dally started to tease them with some rude words. The girls were named Cherry and Marcia who was also called Socs were sisters. They were very afraid of Dally's behavior, who was already a little drunk. The younger brother Ponyboy Curtis stood up for them and made his brother behave. At that moment the two sisters, 14 and 16 years old, had confidence in the young boy and established a dialogue. The four of them stayed in the drive-in theater talking and watching the movie. They told them that they had come with their enemies but that they were upset because they had brought alcohol. For this reason, they were alone. Suddenly the fifth member of the gang, Two-Bit Matthew, arrived and frightened his friends. He made them believe that he was a member of the SOCS gang because he is a good voice imitator. You never know if Two-Bit is drunk or sober as he acts like a drunk sometimes even when he is sober. He even makes his jokes all the time and that's how he started a dialogue with Marcia by teasing her about how he is with his friends Ponyboy and Jhonny. Marcia jokingly told him that they are thinking about kidnapping his friends. Jhonny interrupted saying that they defended them from Dally because he was molesting them and then invited them to stay with them.  After a moment they asked about big brother Dally who hopefully isn't doing anything wrong so he can end up in jail. Since Two-Bit informed his friends that Dally is in trouble for breaking the tires of Mr. Timothy Shepard who saw him. He then tells them that they will have to settle it with a knife fight as the rules with the Sherpad's are. Although Cherry and Marcia don't agree, they are informed that there is a strong bond between the gang but also rules that if broken there will be consequences. At one point Cherry and Ponyboy went out together to buy a coke. There was a long line so they started talking. Cherry asked him if his friend Jhonny was okay because he seemed scared. That's when Ponyboy starts to tell her why Jhonny seems like a scared and dangerous person. He says that almost four months ago Jhonny was found about to die because he had been beaten up by the other gang called the Socs. Jhonny was badly cut from the blows of the Socs who used rings. Soda, Dally, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy managed to rescue him but from that day on he always carries a 16-inch razor for protection and Cherry told him that not all Socs are like that. Cherry said that even the Socs, despite having a lot of money, also have problems. At that point, they went back to the drive-in. Ponyboy knew that Jhonny liked Cherry even though he didn't like girls much because he was too shy and didn't have a good experience. Ponyboy in his poensamineto stated that even though the Socs had a lot of problems they were very fortunate to have good grades, good cars, good girls.

CHAPTER 3

The boys took the girls to the house. Cherry and Ponyboy Curtis talked all the way home while Two-Bit talked to Marcia. At one point Randy and Bob passed by, the girls' boyfriends and who belong to the Socs In which Two-Bit, Johnny, and Ponyboy got nervous, but weren't found out. Then Cherry and Ponyboy started talking again and this time about Darry being Ponyboy's older brother. At one point Ponyboy made it clear that he didn't get along so well with his brothers and Jhonny with Two-Bit got angry. But they brought out that the life of the Greasers is not easy like the Socs. They have had to work from a very young age instead of going out and having fun. Until suddenly Randy and Bob appeared again and this time they saw the girls in the boys' car. So the girls got out to reassure Randy and Bob so there wouldn't be a fight. The boys returned alone to their houses. Ponyboy and Jhonny stared at the stars and Jhonny confessed to Ponyboy that he wanted to die, but Ponyboy encouraged him not to. When Ponyboy came home his brother Darry was very angry because it was 2 in the morning. Darry yelled at him and punched Ponyboy though Soda tried to defend him to no avail. Ponyboy then ran into the house, while calling his friend Johnny to run away together. After a few miles, Ponyboy cried along with Jhonny about what had happened. Jhonny told her you don't even have soda that she cares about you and she defends you while I don't care if I get home or not. At one point Ponyboy calmed down and decided to go home instead.

CHAPTER 4

Ponyboy decided to go to a nearby park to relax with Jhonny. Suddenly 5 Socs appeared in their territory. Johnny and Ponyboy had to fight Bob, Randy, and 3 more Socs. The Socs were angry that they had picked up their girls. Bob was drowning Ponyboy in a pool in the park, but after a moment Jhonny stabbed Bob with a knife to save Ponyboy, and the other Socs ran out, Jhonny had just killed Bob. The boys fled the scene to ask Dally Winston for help, she could do anything. They went to look for him at Buck Merrill's house because that morning there was a party there. Dally helped the boys with a gun, 50 bucks, and get them out of town. Dally asked Ponyboy if his brothers Darry and Soda knew, but realized that they didn't know about his brother Ponyboy.

The next morning Ponyboy and Jhonny fled on a train to Jay Mountain. They jumped off the train before dawn and decided to ask where Jay Mountain is, which was the place they should arrive. They walked about 40 minutes to get to Jay mountain, and they arrived at an old church where they stayed to sleep there since they were very tired because they stayed up all the time on the train to get off at the right stop.

CHAPTER 5

Ponyboy wakes up in an abandoned church. He pretends to be at home and having a normal weekend. But when he comes back to reality he realizes that it was just a dream. Johnny has disappeared, leaving a note on the floor that says he went in search of food. Ponyboy was extremely frightened and sat alone. When he heard a whistling sound used by those in his group. It was Johnny who returned with a week's supply of food and a book  about "Gone with the Wind". Ponyboy did a thorough check and found cigarettes and also peroxide, so Johnny sat down and pulled out the knife. He said they would cut their hair and Ponyboy would dye it so no one would recognize them. For the next four or five days, Pony and Johnny spent time playing cards and reading Gone with the Wind. For the first time, Ponyboy realized how much Johnny loves his hero Darley Winston. They stayed in the church to avoid being seen by passing strangers. One morning, Ponyboy wakes up to watch the sunrise, Johnny stands next to him commenting on the beauty of the sunrise and saying he wishes they could be there all the time. This reminds Ponyboy of a Robert Frost poem he was reading to Johnny. They were both surprised by the poem and Ponyboy admitted that he didn't understand what he meant. Johnny mentions the Ponyboy family, who find them both different from the rest. By the fifth day, Ponyboy was fed up with junk food and cigarettes, and just as he was about to fall asleep he heard a whistle. This is Dally, whom Ponyboy considers his connection to the outside world. He gives Ponyboy a letter from Sodapop, who suspects that Darry knows where the boys are hiding and asks him to give the letter to Ponyboy. Dally tells them how he was taken to the police station and how he tricked the police into thinking they had escaped to Texas. They then get in the car and drive to Dairy Queen. Dally updates them by saying that they are at war with the whole town because Bob has a lot of friends and now they want revenge. Then Dally says he started carrying a gun even though he said it was unloaded. Eventually she tells him they have a spy, and that's Cherry.

CHAPTER 6

Ponyboy and Johnny were surprised to learn that Cherry has been acting as a spy. Dally then explains to them that Cherry approached the greasers in the open field and told them she felt guilty. She said  that she would clear up the whole mess and testify that the Socs were drunk and looking for a fight and that they fought in self-defense. Later when they were talking, Johnny told them that he was going to turn himself in and that since he had no priors they could let him go free. He also felt guilty because he said that Ponyboy doesn't have to be in hiding because of him.

When they were on their way back, they arrived at the church and saw that it was on fire. Ponyboy and Johnny guess that they had accidentally started the fire with a cigarette. Then, they realized that there were some children inside. Ponyboy threw a rock through a window and went inside, Johnny followed him. Jhonny started to pull the children out through the nearest window. However, he had an accident when the roof of the church collapsed. When Ponyboy woke up he realized he was in an ambulance, Dally had burns and Johnny was unconscious. They were finally taken to the hospital.

CHAPTER 7

 When Ponyboy was in the hospital ward, the reporters and the police arrived. They started asking him too many questions that stunned him. The doctor said that Dally would be fine after two or three days in the hospital but Johnny was in very serious condition. He had broken his back, collapsed and had third degree burns. Even if he survived he would be crippled for the rest of his life. They let Ponyboy go home. He was thinking about the circumstances. And he realized that he had finally come to an understanding with Darry. They all decided to stick together because there was going to be a soc-greaser fight. But Ponyboy knew that Johnny needed them and Dally was still in the hospital.  Darry, Soda and Steve  had to go to jobs . Two-Bit stayed home to take care of Ponyboy. When they finished washing the dishes the 2 of them set off in the direction of Tenth Street. When they stopped they saw a blue Mustang following them, it was the socs. Ponyboy recognized Randy Adderson, Marcia's boyfriend, and the tall guy who had almost drowned him. Ponyboy hated him because it was his fault Bob was dead and Johnny was dying. Randy told him he wanted to talk to him.  Then Ponyboy and Randy talked and Randy told him that he wasn't going to be in the fight. Randy was fed up and tired and he was afraid that in the fight a lot of people would die. Ponyboy and Randy talked about their friends. Then Ponyboy and Two-bit went to the hospital.

CHAPTER 8

Ponyboy and Two-Bit arrive at the hospital, but the nurses tell them that Johnny can't have visitors. One of the doctors tells the nurses to let them in since Johnny has been asking for them. When they enter the room, Johnny tries to smile. Two-Bit tells him about the fight that will happen that night and they tell him that he is on the paper for being a hero. Johnny asks for another copy of Gone with the Wind, and Two-bit runs to the store to buy one. When Johnny and Ponyboy are alone, Johnny says he knows he will never be able to walk again and confesses that he is afraid. He doesn't want to die at sixteen. Then a nurse appears and says that Johnny's mother is there to see him,but he didn't want to see her and faints. Then Ponyboy and Two-Bit go to Dally's room. He tells them that Tim Shepard has come to see him, and Ponyboy reflects on how they can be such close friends and hit on each other all the time. Dally asks how Johnny is doing and when Two-Bit tells her he's not doing well at all. Dally asks for Two-Bit's black-handled knife, Two-Bit gives it to her without a moment's hesitation. Dally had decided to go to the fight. Ponyboy and Two-Bit take the bus home, but Ponyboy almost falls asleep at the bus stop waiting for it. He feels bad but asks Two-Bit not to tell Darry because he wants to fight that night. When they arrive at the vacant lot, they see Cherry. She informs them that the socs are going to fight fair. When Two-Bit leaves, Cherry asks Ponyboy to stay for a minute. She tells him that Randy isn't going to the fight, but he tells her that he already knows that. She asks about Johnny, but she says he can't make up his mind to visit him in the hospital because he's the one who killed her boyfriend, Bob. Ponyboy tells her that he doesn't want her to go see him because she is a traitor. He notices that she is about to cry, and feels  ashamed. She tells him that she liked him from the beginning. They make the passes and then he walks home.

CHAPTER 9

 Ponyboy returned home at almost half past six, as he had a headache he took some aspirin. Then, they started to get ready for the fight. Darry tells him that he thinks it is not a good idea for him to go to the fight, but finally he lets him go. Everyone started to get the idea that they are going to the fight in which Darry and Two-Bit pretend to be socs. Darry told Pony and Soda to run away if the police show up, so they don't get put in a correctional facility . When the gang arrived at the vacant lot, Tim Shepard and his gang were already there, there was also another greaser gang from Brumly. They all shook hands to show that they are on the same side in the fight. Then, came the socs; there were twenty-two socs and twenty greasers. One of the socs clarified the rules that the first ones to run lose and that they could not use weapons. Darry then stepped forward to start the fight, saying he would take on any of the socs. Paul Holden stepped forward; he was one of Darry's former high school friends. Ponyboy realized that Darry is embarrassed to represent the greasers. So Dally runs to join them, yelling "Wait!" When Darry looked to see who yelled, Paul punched him in the jaw and the fight began. As Ponyboy fought alongside Dally, Dally explains that he escaped from the hospital by threatening a nurse with Two-Bit's switchblade. Darry was protecting Ponyboy and Ponyboy decides to help Dally since one of his arms is useless. But one of the socs kicked Ponyboy in the head who felt like he was going to pass out. Then the socs ran away and Darry announces that the greasers have won the fight. Immediately, Dally grabs Ponyboy and tells him that they are going to see Johnny as he is getting worse and wants to see Ponyboy. Dally was driving on the way to the hospital and the police stopped them, but since Ponyboy looked sick, she lies and says that they are going there to treat him. When they arrived at the hospital to Johnny's room, the doctor told them that Johnny was dying and could not let them see him. However Dally insisted and threatened him with a knife. When they entered Dally told Johnny how they won the fight, but Johnny said that fighting is no good. Then Dally tells him that he is proud of him, and Johnny's eyes sparkled, because Dally was his hero. Then he asks about Ponyboy and before he dies he tells him to stay golden. Dally, bewildered with anger, begs him not to die and runs out of the room.

CHAPTER 10

 Ponyboy began the long walk home in a stupor. On the way a twenty-something year old man appeared and gave him a ride but Ponyboy was bleeding so the man got worried and asked him where he was going and Ponyboy just said please take him home. When he arrived Steve was stretched out on the couch, his shirt unbuttoned and his side bandaged. Soda had a wide cut on her lip and a bruise on her cheek. Darry had a band-aid on his forehead and a black eye. One side of Two-Bits' face was bandaged; for he had four stitches in his cheek and seven in his hand, where his knuckles had been split open. They were resting, reading the newspaper and smoking. There was a silence between them as they did not realize how bad Johnny was. Dally ran out of the house. Then the phone rang, it was Dally calling from a pay phone, because he had robbed a grocery store. The police were chasing him and eventually killed him violently.

Ponyboy fainted from being kicked in the head when he had the fight. This led to a concussion. The brothers were always looking out for him. Darry said that Johnny had left her a copy of the book "Gone with the Wind"

CHAPTER 11

After Ponyboy had been laid up for a week he flipped through one of Soda's old yearbooks and came across a picture of Bob. He looked like a real person, the best buddy a guy ever had. Randy went to visit Ponyboy to tell him that he was going to charge him in front of a judge, since he had let his dad down. But Pony's fear was that the judge would decide that Darry is not a good guardian or that he would be trapped in some home. Although they didn't have a good relationship, he considered him a good guardian because he made him study and cared about him. However after a talk, Randy found out that Ponyboy doesn't have parents, so he reflected and said that he didn't kill Bob, it was his friend Johnny. Pony just said no that he didn't die. Then his older brother told him he'd better go because he's still mentally and emotionally tormented by what happened.

CHAPTER 12

The day came for the hearing where there was only Darry, Soda Ponyboy, Randy with his parents, Cherry Valance with his parents and a couple of the other guys who had jumped Johnny and Ponyboy, there was also the doctor who had a long talk with the judge before the hearing. All the Socs told the same story and stuck mainly to the truth, except they said Johnny had killed Bob. Cherry told them what had happened before and after Johnny and Ponyboy jumped. The judge asked Ponyboy simple questions such as did he liked living with Darry, did he like school, grades, etc. The hearing was acquitted and the case was closed.

But not everything went back to normal, Ponyboy started bumping into things, losing things. He stopped eating and his school performance dropped. In addition, some people were afraid of him, including the teachers at school. At lunch hour Ponyboy met Two-Bit and Steve out in the back parking lot and They drove over to a little neighborhood grocery store to buy cigarettes, cokes and candy bars. The Socs were causing a lot of trouble in the store by knocking over silverwarePony wasn't afraid he was sitting on the fender of Steve's car, smoking and drinking a Pepsi while he and Two-Bit were inside talking to some girls, when a car drove up and three Socs got out. They were accusing him of killing Bob so, Pony busted the end off the bottle and said  You get back into your car or I'll get split. They left in fear. Then Two bit talked to him and advised him not to be like them and not to try it. 

Pony had a fight with Darry because she didn't want to do a school assignment that her English teacher had given her about writing a subject so she wouldn't fail the subject. Besides, he wanted to drop out of school and if he didn't accept it, he would decide to leave home. Soda with teary eyes ran out of the house. Pony didn't understand his reaction, so Darry told her that the same week he left home his girlfriend Sandy had gone to live in Florida. So they went out to look for him, and when they found him, Soda said that he didn't like to see them fight and that Pony should appreciate the effort he makes to give him the study. They hugged each other and raced home. Pony didn't want to do homework so he decided to read the book that Johnny left him. That book had a note where it said that Johnny had asked the nurse to give you this book so that you can finish reading and I explained the meaning of the poem that being gold is when you are a child, because everything is new. He also said that it is necessary that he tells a version of how the world really is and so that they do not suffer as happened with Dally. So he called his teacher to find out how many pages he could write. Finally he sat down, picked up his pen and started this way.. When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.

VOCABULARY

 

• Lone it: to do something alone.

• Tight knit: to be close to something.

• Cussed: to use foul language.

• Slugged: to be punched.

• Blade: a knife.

• Kicks: fun or enjoyment.

• Rumble: A large fight.

• Hacked off: to be mad at something.

• Tuff: to look cool.

• Rolled: mugged.

• Broad: a girl.

• Boozed up: to get drunk.

• You dig: do you understand.

• Jumped: to be attacked by a group of people.

• Booze-hound: a drunk

• The cooler: jail.

• Corn-poney: unsophisticated, cornball

• The fuzz: a policeman or the police.

• Heater: a pistol.

• Pickled: intoxicated, drunk.

• Savvy: to understand, get idea.

• Soused: intoxicated.

• T-bird: a cigar or cigarette.

• Greaser: a person in a gang with easy, combed back hair.

• Soc: west side rich kids

• Loned it: to do something alone

• Dig: to like something.

• Hood: young person who acts criminal like.

• Brawl: to weep.

• Lift: to steal

• Rumble: gang fight.

• Outfit: a gang.

• Doll: good looking guy.

• Looker: good looking girl.

• Half crocked: half drunk.

• Rat race: struggle for wealth and power.

• Rep: reputation.

• Chips are down. Situation is getting difficult.

• Like it or lump it: must accept it.

• Class: social class.

• Soused: drunk

• Snooker: a game od pool with 15 red balls and 6 different colors: yellow, green, orange, blue, pink, and black.

• Gonna: is a short form of saying “going to”

• Wanna: is a short form of saying “want to”

• Gotta: is a short way of saying “got to”.

• goofing up: to do something badly or make a silly mistake.

• Vague: not clearly expressed.

• scared to death: cowardice

• That's the rotten part:  to hate and the desire for revenge

•  best buddy: the one who accompanies you through thick and thin

• Little sonofagun: is a foul language and a dysphemism that is commonly used as an insult.

• Corny: to be fine, elegant, and distinguished but often looks ridiculous.

• Golly: indicates admiration, surprise, or anger.

READING COMPREHENSION

1. What are slang words? 

Slang words refer to the more colloquial speech that is used when speaking or writing in a language. This has to do with a speech in a neighborhood.

2.  How can you really learn slang, the English of the street?

There are different means where we can find these words for example:

-Websites.

-Online games

-Songs

-Movies/Comedy Series

-Books