OUTSIDERS

OUTSIDERS                                                                                      Paul Fischer

9/16/05

                        

              The book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is about a kid named Ponyboy with two things on his mind; Paul Newman and a ride home. As he walks back from the theater it turns out he would have been much better off in a car. A group a socs or socials jump him nearly critically hurting him before his friends come and beat them off. This brings the memory of Johnny, one of Ponyboys friends, being nearly killed. Johnny then accidentally kills a soc the next time the get jumped. They are forced to run for the hills and Ponyboys tough friend, Dallas, gives them a place to hide until the police leave town. When Dallas comes to pick them up they are surprised by the flames coming from the hideout. After asking a nearby adult they learn that eight little children are trapped there! As they save all the children, the two are glorified as heroes in the paper. Unfortunately, Johnny dies from third degree burns. I learned that Ponyboy, and all greasers, have a lot more on their mind than just Paul Newman and a ride home. They are faced with death, social class difference, and the bad break of being born as greaser.