The Outsiders is about a gang of greaser during the mid-1960s. Ponyboy Curtis lives with his older brothers Sodapop and Darry, ever since their parents died in a car accident. They are all members of a Greaser gang. The other members of the Greaser gang …show more content…
One night, Ponyboy, Johnny, Two-Bit, and Dally go to a drive-in theater. There they meet Cherry Valance and Marcia, two Soc girls where their boyfriends left them. On the walk home, Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson, the boyfriends, pull up and take the girls home. Later that night, Ponyboy and Johnny accidentally fall asleep in a vacant lot. When Pony gets home, Darry scolds him and hits him out of anger, he goes back to find Johnny. Bob, Randy, and other Socs show up and start drowning Pony in the fountain. Johnny stabs and kills Bob to save Pony. Ponyboy and Johnny go to Dally for help. He gives them some money and a gun and tells them to get on a train to Windrixville and hide out in a deserted church. Ponyboy and Johnny stay at the church for about a week. During that time they cut off and bleach their Greaser hair as a disguise. Dally visits them eventually and takes them out. They return to see the abandoned church in flames with children trapped inside. Ponyboy and Johnny run in and save the children, but Johnny is caught across the back by a burning piece of timber. Soda and Darry come to the hospital for Ponyboy, and learn Johnny is in critical condition. The boys …show more content…
In chapter 1, pony states “Or I could have gotten one of the gang to come along, one of the four boys Darry and Soda and I have grown up with and consider family.” (Hinton 3) proving that gangs are considered to be an instant family. Gangs deepest trust are stated when pony states “We're almost as close as brothers; when you grow up in a tight-knit neighborhood like ours, you get to know each other real well. “ (3). On page 3, pony states “If you don't stick up for the members, make like brothers, it isn't a gang anymore. “ (3) meaning strong bonds between members are crucial in a gang. When Pony says Johnny “would kill the next person who jumped him” (34) to show that he wasn’t being messed with again. When Bob shows up and sees the greasers, he says “Listen, greasers, we got four more of us in the backseat…” (45) proving violence occurs often for gangs. Loyalty is key in a gang. This is proven when Two-bit says “Our one rule, besides stick together, is don't get caught.” (29). People with a poor relationship with their parents, join a gang to make up for that. Johnny joined the gang because his “parents didn't care if he came home or not” (49). The Outsiders showed many connections to gang