The Outsiders

Now, granted it has been quite a while since I have read this book. As with my previous post, I wanted to express my opinions prior to rereading in an attempt to maybe gain some new insight into the novel and analyze how my ideas and my own mind have changed. With that being said, here we go.

I remember The Outsiders as being a captivating read. A mixture of life and bad circumstance. However other than that, I don't remember much other than a fight, a death, a fire and a girl. Now this can mean either A) the book did not have a strong enough impact on me to make a lasting impression, or B) the vagueness of the events that I do remember represent the four most influential moments in the book, possibly even representing four very challenging moments in Hinton's life. While I fear that the end result may be the former, I am going to argue for the latter.

Ponyboy represents a young man who is trying to figure out his place in the world. I think that perhaps Ponyboy represents a foil for S.E. Hinton herself. By remembering the author and the circumstances around who she is (16 years old), it is easy to see how she might interpret herself in much of the same way she portrays Ponyboy. Perhaps a little lost, a little bit of a dreamer, maybe even lonely. I almost feel as though it would be interesting to make a Venn Diagram of S.E. Hinton and her life events in comparison to Ponyboy. I am willing to argue that The Outsider's could be interpreted as a biography of her own life. Removed from the gender differences and literal translation of events.