“The Outsiders”

by S.E. Hinton

Video SummaryNarrated by Steve Yanke

Note: See Weebly website for a detailed written summary

The Novel by S.E. Hinton was first published in

1967 Reprinted many times Made into a movie in 1983 The story is about the multifaceted dynamics

of social interactions between two different groups of kids in separate socioeconomic classes; the Greasers who are low income kids from the East Side, and the Socials or “Socs” who are the rich kids from the West Side

The Outsiders

Ponyboy Curtis

Story told from his perspective, 14 years old, smart Sodapop Curtis

16 years old, nice to Ponyboy, dropped out of school Darry Curtis

Oldest of the brothers, tough on Ponyboy, main financial support of the family by working different jobs

Steve Randle Good with cars, works with Sodapop at a gas station

Two-bit Matthews The oldest one in the gang, a wisecracker

Dallas Winston (Dally) Toughest one in the gang and is from a bad part of New York

Johnny Cade Youngest one in the gang, besides Ponyboy, and PonyBoy’s close friend

Main Characters“The Greaser Gang”

Robert “Bob”

Leader of the Socs, drives a blue Ford Mustang, likes to wear a lot of rings, alcoholic

Randy Bobs close friend

“Cherry” Bob’s girlfriend

Marcia Cherry’s friend

Main Characters“The Socials”

The movie can be used to elicit discussion and reinforce

what was read The students can discuss the parts that were left out and

synthesize the why The movie follows the book very closely The characters are extremely well casted to match the

personalities in the book Only a few parts of the book do not make it into the

movie (Chapter 1 and the last two Chapters) Can be used as an example of writing alternate endings

to a novel S.E. Hinton makes an appearance in the movie!

Using the Movie in the ClassroomBook Versus The Movie

Chapter 1

Ponyboy gets jumped on the way home from a theater, his brothers jump in and save him from a beat down

Chapter 2 Dally, Ponyboy, and Johnny go to the Drive-in movie theater and meet

Cherry and Marcia Chapter 3

The three Greaser boys walk home the two Soc-girls Pony comes home late and Darry gets upset and hits him, Pony runs away

with Johnny Chapter 4

A group of Socs finds Pony and Johnny in the park The Socs hold Pony’s head underwater in the fountain and then Johnny

stabs Bob, killing him Dally helps them with an escape plan

Chapter 5 Johnny and Ponyboy spend five days at the church

Chapter Breakdown

Chapter 6

Church catches fire, Ponyboy and Johnny save the kids but all three of them get hurt in the process, Johnny breaks his back, and are hospitalized

Chapter 7 Ponyboy meets Randy and realizes the Socs are people too

Chapter 8 Johnny is still in the hospital, his condition worsening

Chapter 9 The Greasers meet the Socs in the park and rumble The Greasers win Ponyboy and Dallas rush to the hospital to tell Johnny Johnny dies, Dallas loses it and runs out of the hospital

Chapter Breakdown

Chapter 10

Ponyboy is getting sicker by the minute Dallas robs a store and runs from the police Dallas commits suicide by cops Ponyboy falls unconscious for five days

Chapter 11 Ponyboy gets better, Randy comes to talk with him

Chapter 12 Ponyboy goes to court, found Not Guilty Ponyboy has to write a paper to pass English Finds the note left by Johnny inside the book Gone with the Wind. The

note tells Ponyboy to stay gold referencing the poem by Robert Frost that Pony read to Johnny at the church

Pony decides to write his paper about Johhny’s life Alternate Ending to Movie

Good to demonstrate to students that books sometimes do not transfer well to the screen

Chapter Breakdown

The Outsiders