The Outsiders: The Novel Review

Author: S.E. Hinton

Genre: Young Adult, Teen Fiction, Coming of Age

Publisher: Puffin Books

Publication Year: 1967

Paperback: 208 pages




I had a long walk home and no company, but I usually lone it anyway, for no reason except that I like to watch movies undisturbed so I can get into them and live them with the actors. When I see a movie with someone it's kind of uncomfortable, like having someone read your book over your shoulder. I'm different that way. I mean, my second-oldest brother, Soda, who is sixteen-going-on-seventeen, never cracks a book at all, and my oldest brother, Darrel, who we call Darry, works too long and hard to be interested in a story or drawing a picture, so I'm not like them. And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. For a while there, I thought I was the only person in the world that did. So I loned it.     - Hinton


Many middle school students have been assigned The Outsiders for decades. Perhaps this is because they continue to relate to main character Ponyboy Curtis and his band of misfits. Beyond that, however, is the presence of crime and its consequences. During this time when parents neglect their children, author S.E. Hinton sheds light on the dark element of loneliness and desperation among a group of teenagers.

As seen from the excerpt included above, the conversational, easy-to-read language Ponyboy uses encourages readers to connect with him. Hinton is even directly calling attention to the act of reading itself when she more or less describes her main character as a book nerd. That looks like a direct intrusion by the author to make her audience connect with her characters.

Throughout The Outsiders, readers go through the ups and downs, but mostly downs, with Ponyboy and his gang of greasers (the word used to describe hoodlums during this time period.) The greasers have an age-old rivalry with the Socs, or Socials, and the story follows them as social divides broaden and fights occur.

But, even though the main characters struggle with the social constructs of their society, that isn't what the majority of readers get out of this book. The Outsiders is about the struggle for identity and people being judged for the clothes on their backs instead of their hearts and minds. This story emphasizes the social factions but, more importantly, stresses that it's incredibly important to be an individual.

Hinton's use of country slang and relatable teen issues makes The Outsiders a gentle read for her audience even though the topic at hand is heavy. This novel is arguably one of the best in the young adult genre, if not only for the fact that it remains in classrooms today. Teachers find it so important to teach in school because it includes important lessons such as loyalty, brotherhood and independence, which are all things Ponyboy Curtis struggles to embrace.

Why I read this book: I was assigned The Outsiders in my fifth grade English class. This was the beginning of my book-craze so I loved it from the very beginning. We then watched the film (the original, the director's cut had not been released yet).  Now I am 20 years old and I can honestly say that I didn't expect to still relate so closely with this novel as I do. That shows how relatable and timeless a text like The Outsiders truly is.

If you want to check it out it's only $6 on Amazon!


Up next week: AVA by Carole Maso.