Outsiders

S. E. HINTON

The Outsiders

Ponyboy is fourteen years old and the member of a gang called "Greasers". When he is on his way home from the movie house, some guys of the rival gang, called the 'Socs', attack him. They threaten him with a knife and he is really scared to death. Fortunately his brothers, Darry and Soda, arrive and rescue him. Darry accuses Ponyboy of being so silly to walk home alone

The next time when Ponyboy watches a movie with his 'gang - brothers' Jonny and Dally, he meets Marcia and Cherry, two girls whose boyfriends belong to the 'Socs'. Ponyboy is aware of the fact that Cherry is a member of the rival gang, but he develops a trusting relationship to her.

One day, Ponyboy comes home late in the evening. Darry is very worried and is about to call the police, when Ponyboy arrives. He shouts at Ponyboy who desperately decides to run away. On his way, the  boy meets Jonny who decides to leave together with Ponyboy, because the sixteen-year-old Jonny is ignored by his parents at home and thus very sad. Suddenly some drunk 'Socs' approach them and start a fight. Bob, a 'Soc' (by the way, the boyfriend of Cherry), is nearly drowning Ponyboy in a fountain and Jonny, who has been wearing a knife since some 'Socs' beat him up a few months ago, stabs Bob to defend himself against these brutal 'Socs'.

Panic rises up in Ponyboy and Jonny and that's why they flee and call Dally for help.

Dally is like the bad guy of the "Greasers". He has done all sorts of crime, has also been in jail for some time. He is tough, but after someone knows him better he´ll see that also Dally has a good heart.

Dally gives the two boys money and a gun and orders them to hide in a small secluded church in the country. Knowing that the police will come soon they hurry to the train station and hop on the train. That night, the thought that Jonny is a murderer hangs like a nightmare on them

One week they have to live in this church until Dally will come to check if both are allright. Jonny and Ponyboy feel alone; they think about the future and home and are scared: How long do they have to hide?

After some days, Dally arrives. He can't believe his eyes when he looks at Ponyboy and Jonny who have both cut their long hair.

The police is looking for them at home, but with short hair people would perhaps not recognize them from the paper.

They drive away to get something to eat. Jonny, who can't bear this emotional burden of being a killer, decides to tell the police about the whole affair. He tells Dally and Pony about his decision.

After a short time they arrive back at the church, when they suddenly notice something frightening: The building is going up in flames and 8 children are still inside it. Jonny and Ponyboy, who believe that they are responsible for the fire, crawl into it to rescue the children.

Ponyboys back is burnt a bit and some hours later when he wakes up in hospital, Dally tells him that Jonny is badly hurt (his back is broken and in addition he is burnt heavily)

The police is already waiting to have a conversation with Ponyboy. He and Jonny do not have to hide any longer so he tells the police the course of events. The policeman gets to know that Jonny had to defend himself and had to help Ponyboy, otherwise Bob, the 'Soc', would have drowned Pony. Additional to that Cherry, Bob's girlfriend, told the police that the 'Socs' were drunk that evening and wanted to start a fight with the 'Greasers'.

Darry and Soda, who haven't been able to sleep a wink all nights since Ponyboy disappeared, are giving their brother a warm welcome. Soon this mood is vanishing when they get to know that Jonny is in critical condition.

With the support of other gangs the 'Greasers' win this fight.

Dally is quite upset about Jonny, who will die soon, so they rush to the hospital to overbring him the message of victory. Immediately after that happens, Jonny closes his eyes and dies. He will be remembered as a boy who was against violence, who carried this knife since he had been beaten up by "Socs", only because he was scared. He was Ponyboy´s best friend, able to listen to other´s problems.

Dally is so sad about Jonny's death that he wants to die as well. He can´t bare the loss of a person he really loved. Full of anger he robbs a grocery store and when the police is chasing him, he raises his gun. It is not loaded, he is bluffing. As the policemen can´t know, they shoot him.

'Dally Winston wants to be dead and he always gets what he wants.'

Ponyboy isn´t hardly able to get theses things all in mind, but together with the help of his brothers he will be able to become the person he was before.

In my opinion it is a pretty sad story, regarding the death of Jonny. Both, he and Ponyboy were not really fighters, they didn´t really belong into gangs.