The Outsiders Literary Blog: By Georgina Utz

The Outsiders:

Literary Blog:

The general ideas of “The Outsiders”, both the written and cinematic version are, in fact, quite different by ways listed below. S. E. Hinton, author, wrote this novel based on the on her own experiences in the 1960’s, where the rich and poor of American towns fight out their differences in gangs. This is one of the main themes in both the film and the novel.

The cinematic version of “The Outsiders” differs from the novel, as it abolishes details that are relevant to the storyline of the novel, and instead focuses on the conflict between the gangs. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy Curtis narrates the story, which allows us, the readers, to hear his thoughts, feelings and perspective on events that happened throughout the storyline. While he narrates his story, Ponyboy is, unknowingly drawing the attention of the reader into his journey and, more importantly, his personal journey. In contrast, the characters of both film and novel differ greatly. In fact, in the film, we hardly see the characters that play a great role on the novel. For example, Soda’s relationship with his girlfriend and the story of Soda’s horse, Mickey Mouse, are hardly even mentioned in the film. Thus, the novel follows Ponyboy’s journey throughout a range of events that are more detailed than that of the film, as the film mainly focuses on the visual appeal of fighting and friendship.

Another point that was included in the novel but was excluded from the film was the court case at the end of the novel. The court case, in the novel, explored the mixed emotions of the closely knit gang of Greasers. In relation to the film, this is not even mentioned.

Symbolism in both the film and novel are very common. Both show the emotional side of the sunsets, as it associates with “staying golden” as Johnny says in his final letter to Ponyboy. Sunsets make multiple appearances in the novel. Another example of symbolism is the Greasers particular style of hair. This shows that they are committed to their closely knit group, and that they would do anything to protect their pride.

In conclusion, the Outsiders is a riveting and moving novel, more so than the dull and less emotional film. This can be seen by the differences shown, such as: the court case, the story of Mickey Mouse, and Soda himself. There were also a number of similarities, such as: the symbolism of sunsets, the classic Greaser hairstyle and many more. This is a novel that I shall recommend to the emotional readers.