FREE ESSAY ON THE OUTSIDERS

THE OUTSIDERS

INTRODUCTION: 
The Outsiders by S. E Hinton is an early novel based on two waring juvenile gangs,
divided by economical and social 
background, the lower East side Greasers and the upper West side Socs. The novel is set
in 1966 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a 
novel written in first person by a 14 year old Greaser, Ponyboy Curtis who allows us an
insight into the lifestyles of these 
distinct worlds. 
I chose the novel The Outsiders as a text for year 10 for the following reasons: 
It is a novel which draws the reader in and allows the reader to understand a lifestyle
alien to them. Even though the novel is set 
in 1966, it is a novel that's theme can be found in any society and time period. The
student can relate to this novel, because the narrator of the story is their own age and
reflects many problems that they themselves may run into someday. 
The language of the text is easily understood as are the themes in the story. It contains
themes that would interest a young mind, 
showing many students the seedier side of life. What it would be like to live under such
circumstances in constant fear of their 
lives. It deals with gang warfare, alcohol, drugs, child abuse, murder, survival and
growing up. These are areas that a pubescent 
teenager can easily lose themselves in. It forces the reader to realise that in many
cases teenagers have no choice in what 
lifestyles that are born into in this case either becoming the rich kid or the kid from
the wrong side of the tracks. 
The novel has been incorporated into a Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 movie adaptation,
starring many popular young actors of 
our time. The use of both text and movie creates a more vivid understanding and
appreciation of the novel for there are no 
major variations between the two texts. 
I believe The Outsiders is a relevant novel to study as in today's society the concept of
violence is an ever present theme. It is 
a theme that dominates adolescents all over the world. As to survive in today's society
many adolescents are faced with the 
turbulence of growing up in a volatile society and many face the prospect of dealing with
some form violence or gang warfare 
or know of a friend who has. 
I believe students would enjoy this novel because it is about people roughly their own
age, contemporary time, the obvious, 
but none the less potent, parental relationships, challenging authority, establishing
ones own personality and future relationship 
with peers and sex (Aidan Chambers, Booktalk, Bodley Head, London, 1985.) 
Another obvious problem would be is if gangs existed in the mythical school, however both
problems do not occur. The only 
problem to deal with is gender as females do not tend to dominate in gang warfare, they
are considered as the prize of a gang 
or a reason to cause a war.