Adolescent Angst at Its Best: Book Review of The Outsiders

 

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

When I was in seventh grade, I read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I loved it so much I read every other book Hinton wrote. I was delighted to learn that Hinton was fifteen when she wrote The Outsiders--as an aspiring writer, I found it inspirational. Her writing felt fresh even though it had been written before I was born.

The Outsiders, as the title suggests, is about a group of teenagers who live on the outside of town, and operate on the outside of the social scene. Their group is called the Greasers for their slicked back hair. Most of them have rough home lives, very little money, and few prospects. The main character, Ponyboy, is the youngest member of a gang of Greasers. An orphan, he lives with his older brothers Darry and Sodapop, both of whom work to make ends meet. Still in high school, Ponyboy is different from the rest of the gang, because he is the dreamer, the kid who excels at school but might walk home by himself in the dark without considering that he is an easy target for a group of Socs. The Socs, shorts for Socials, are the in-town kids, whose parents buy them expensive cars but cannot seem to give them the attention that they crave. They also like to jump lone Greasers.

Though the Greasers and the Socs seem to live in two different worlds, Ponyboy meets Cherry, a Soc who does not seem snobby, but seems kind and understanding. Meeting Cherry sets of a series of events that changes Ponyboy’s and the lives of every other character, forever.

Would I teach this book? I am teaching The Outsiders to my seventh graders, and I am glad that I am. First, that I can remember reading The Outsiders in middle school and still remember it clearly shows what an impact it had on me. When I reread it this year in order to teach it, I noticed that while the book is emotional and hits many of the adolescent angst notes, the prose itself is quite simple. Simple prose can sometimes make class discussions about themes and characters easier, as students are not taking as much time untangling the prose. The Outsiders is sad at times, but also has action and a lot of heart. It is a fun book to teach.

In fact, Hinton is considered to be one of the earliest authors to write in the genre of YA (young adult) literature. By writing gritty and realistic books for the young adult age group, as opposed to the often sappy chapter books for kids or the adult books that often don’t hit the mark for adolescents, she filled a space that had up to then been empty.

Instead of assigning an essay, my brilliant colleague helped me do a project with the students in which they designed T-shirts to represent the different characters. It was a fabulous project that the students enjoyed and encouraged them to think symbolically.

So, yes, teach The Outsiders. There’s a good chance that your students will appreciate it. And if you haven’t read it yet, read it already.

 

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