The outsiders

The author Author: "The Outsiders\" is not like other books, because when it was written S.E. Hinton was only sixteen. It was her first book and it has become a bestseller. She did not write about glory life; she told US the truth about her world, a truth of street battles and crimes. Now she lives in America where she was born, with her husband and her son.

Ponyboy Curtis: a 14-year-old boy who has lost his parents in a car accident, he lives together with his brother Sodapop and Darry and he is a greaser and still goes to school.
Sodapop Curtis: Nearly 17 years old, Ponyboy\'s brother, works at a gas station, has got a girlfriend called Sandy, he is a greaser too.
Darry Curtis: Soda\'s and Ponyboy\'s brother, 20 years old, works very hard to
support his brothers, he is something like a father for his younger brothers, he is of course a greaser too.
Two-Bit Mathews: over 20 years old, makes a lot of jokes, is used to drinking a lot of hard drinks, his real name is Keith and he is famous for shoplifting, he is a greaser
Dallas (DalIy) Winston: about 20 years old, has been in prison very often, looks dangerous, likes to fight, is a greaser.
Johnny Cade: Is a 16-year-old boy who is always beaten by his father, is always looking scared.

Steve: would like to be a greaser.


Plot:

The Outsiders is a book, that describes the battles between two gangs: the socs and the greasers. The socs are teenagers with rich parents and they are used to hanging out in their expensive cars. The greasers are quite poor1 their parents do not take care of them and, as a result, all greasers think that being a soc is like being in Log heaven.
The main character of the book is a 14-year-old boy called Ponyboy Curtis. He lives together with his 16-year-old brother Sodapop and his 20-year-old brother Darry. Ponyboy\'s parents died in a car accident, so the three brothers have to look after themselves. While Pony\'s brothers are working at a gas station, he still goes to school and 5 quite successful. But unfortunately, Ponyboy likes to day-dream and so he often forgets things. One day, when he has seen a film and goes home some socs try to get him. But Pony\'s friends help him. Pony quarrels as usual with Derry, who is often worried about his youngest brother. Ponyboy himself believes, that Derry does not like him. Soda is the only one who tries to keep peace between them. The gang consists of the three brothers, Johnny, Dally, Steve and Two-Bit Mathews. Johnny is everybody\'s pet, because his father always beats him. Once, the socs get him and hurt him so badly, that he is scared to death whenever he hears their cars corning down the road.
One day Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally go to a drive-in movie. There, Dally, who\'s about 20 years old and who has had a lot of bad experience, tries to flirt with two socs-girls. He has no success, but Pony and Johnny speak to the gins and tell them their names. The girls' names are Cherry and Marcia and they\'re alone, because their boyfriends are drunk so Cherry refuses to stay with them. After some time, Two-Bit Mathews arrives and suggests the girls to go home. They talk and talk and Ponyboy realizes that there is not a lot of difference between socs and greasers. But then, Bob, Cherry\'s boy-friend and some other socs arrive. They\'re very angry and want to fight, but Cherry, who hates battles decides to get into their car to avoid a fight. Some hours later, Pony and Johnny are lying in the grass, watching the sunset. They fall asleep and when Pony wakes up again, it\'s already two o\'clock a.m. Darry is so angry that he beats Ponyboy. That\'s when Pony decides to run away, because he has never been beaten before Darry is very sorry, but Pony looks for Johnny and the both hurry away. When they come to a park, they walk into a trap, because some socs are arriving Bob 5 among them. They are drunk and want to take revenge1 because of their girls. Two of them get hold of Pony and they nearly drown him in a fountain. When Pony wakes up again, he finds Johnny beside him and there\'s also Bob, who\'s dead. Johnny has killed him with a knife, because he was so afraid for Pony\'s life.
Pony and Johnny know that they have to escape. They go to DaIly, because he has a lot of experience in such things. He is quite amused and he gives them some money, a gun and tells them to go to a church. They have to go by train there. It is an empty church and quite a good place to hide. Pony and Johnny spend their time smoking, reading and they also cut their hair and bleach it. Greasers are very proud of their long hair, so it is quite hard for Pony and Johnny. Some days later, Dally comes to visit them and he gives Pony a letter from Soda. Dally invites Johnny and Pony for a Pepsi and he tells them that everyone is searching for them. Johnny decides to go to the police and tell everything, but things 90 a different way. When they come back to the church to get their things, there is a fire. There are still some children inside, because they wanted to play there. Johnny and Pony want to save them and so they run into the burning church. They succeed in saving the kids but both get hurt. When they arrive at hospital, everyone says that they are heroes. Pony and Dally are not badly hurt, but Johnny has very dangerous wounds and it is not sure that he will pull through. Soda and Darry come and end their fight, but everyone worries about Johnny. There is also another street battle where the greasers win against the socs, but Ponyboy is not happy. Johnny dies and therefore, Dally commits suicide. Then, Ponyboy becomes very ill and he does not want to believe all these things. His school marks are getting worse and the teacher asks him to pay more attention.
There is also a trial, but Ponyboy is not blamed. Bob\'s best friend, Randy also tries to speak to Pony. His opinion is that the battles between greasers and socs should stop.
In the end, Pony\'s teacher tells the boy that he has to write a good report to pass the year and so Pony decides to tell the whole story.