"THE OUTSIDERS"

CRITIQUE PAPER
JOHN LAWRENCE BAUTISTA
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel by S.E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton
was only 15 when she started writing the novel; however, she did most of the work when she was 16 and
a junior in high school.[1] Hinton was 18 when the book was published.[2] The book details the conflict
between two rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic status: the working-class "greasers" and the
upper-class "Socs". It tells the conflicts between the two leagues and how it affects the life of Ponyboy the
main person who's this book revolves in.
The book The Outsiders by S.E. Hilton begins with the introduction of a street boy named Ponyboy
Curtis. He is a fourteen- year-old teen who explains and introduces the meaningful events in his life as a
gang member, Greaser, and rivalry to the West side social club kids, the Socs. Ponyboy goes to the movies
one night and meets two Socs girls that where alone, Cherry and Marcia, and become good friends. When
both Ponyboy and Johnny, a Greaser and best friend, walk back home, a whole group of Socs attacked
Ponyboy and Johnny. Johnny defended himself, and killed a Soc with his switchblade. They get help from
their gang friend, Dally Winston, who gives them a loaded gun and grocery money for a whole week and
tells them to go to an old church far away until it cools off. Ponyboy and Johnny stayed at the church until
Dally came over and told them they could go back home. Dally came after a week and drove them to eat
somewhere. Then Johnny makes a shocking decision and wants to turn himself in to the police for what he
did. Dally drove back Ponyboy and Johnny to the church to get their things, when they saw that the old
abandoned church was on fire. They hop out of the car and figured out that kids where in the church.
Ponyboy and Johnny rushed into the church and brought kids out through a window. The church was
collapsing and a part of the roof came down on Johnny. Dally got out Johnny as fast as he could, but
wasn't fast enough. Ambulances drove Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally. Ponyboy didn't even get any serious
injuries, Dally had a bad burn on his arm, and Johnny had serious burns and a broken back.The Greasers
and Socs were going to have a rumble and Ponyboy was going to be in it. The Greasers won and after the
fight Ponyboy had a concussion form a kick in the rumble. Johnny dies and his last words he said to
Ponyboy was for Ponyboy to "Stay Gold", Ponyboy didn't know what he meant.
The novel had a lot to give us. It tells the conflict between the classism between the two group that can
be reflected in iur daily lives. People tend to stereotype everything it encounters. Color, language and age,
it is a very alarming to everyone. However, the novel relevantly speak about the teens coming out of an
age and the drama they've encountered. The story has a strong hold to a teenager like me who seeks to
find our main purpose of existing in this world. It can give a lot of realization that friendship and
companions are the best thing to have if you are journeying your life. The struggles that the characters
faced are no irrelevant in this current time. The moment Dally died at the young age, it gives an ache in
our hearts. The heroism they gave when they saved those childrens from being burned at the church really
revive my fate in humanity. Like no matter how big your commited crime can be that will never stop you
from obtaining the retrieval of your sin. The choices the main character used was one of a kind.
The novel used the Moralist approach as the characters evolve from being fugitive criminals to a hero.
The main theme in this selection is heroism and friendship. The author used a language that is not hard to
understand. The author is fully understandable every word or phrases she cited can be comprehended
easily. The way she wrote the plote and arrange it cleanly and mastered the art of transition of the plot
knownly as the plot twist. The plot twist at the near end really shoked readers and how the author craftily
made everything beautiful. The author is really a master, the way she wrote the starting sentence of this
novel made sense at the closing sentence.
The sum everything up, this is a pleasing masterpiece that is available in library anywhere. It is a novel
that gave a lot of realization and lessons to the teenagers. And how it can affect a reader at the end and
can change someones life.