The Outsiders ( novel ) - wikipedia The Outsiders ( novel ) The Outsiders First hardcover edition, 1967 Author S.E. Hinton Cover artist Robert Hunt Country United States Language English Genre Young adult fiction Publisher Viking Press, Dell Publishing Publication date April 24, 1967 Media type Print ( hardcover, paperback ), Audiobook Pages 192 ISBN 0 - 670 - 53257 - 6 OCLC 64396432 Followed by That Was Then, This Is Now The Outsiders is a coming - of - age novel by S.E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel but did most of the work when she was 16 and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published. The book details the conflict between two rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic status : the working - class `` greasers '' and the upper - class `` Socs '' ( pronounced / ˈsoʊʃɪz / -- short for Socials ). The story is told in first - person perspective by teenaged protagonist Ponyboy Curtis. The story in the book takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965, but this is never explicitly stated in the book. A film adaptation was produced in 1983, and a little - known short - lived television series appeared in 1990, picking up where the movie left off. A stage adaptation was written by Christopher Sergel and published in 1990. Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Major characters 2.1 Greasers 2.2 Socs 2.3 Other characters 3 Controversy 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External links Plot summary Ponyboy Curtis, a teenaged member of a loose gang of `` greasers '', is leaving a movie theater when he is jumped by `` Socs '', the greasers ' rival gang. Several greasers, including Ponyboy 's two older brothers -- the paternal Darry and the popular Sodapop -- come to his rescue. The next night, Ponyboy and two greaser friends, the hardened Dally and the quiet Johnny, meet Cherry and Marcia, a pair of Soc girls, at a drive - in movie theater. Cherry spurns Dally 's rude advances, but Ponyboy ends up speaking civilly with Cherry, emotionally connecting with a Soc for the first time in his life. Afterward, Ponyboy, Johnny, and their wisecracking friend Two - Bit begin to walk Cherry and Marcia home, when they are stopped by Cherry 's boyfriend Bob, who badly beat up Johnny a few months back. Bob and the greasers exchange taunts, but Cherry prevents a fight by willingly leaving with Bob. Ponyboy gets home at two in the morning, enraging Darry until he suddenly slaps Ponyboy. Ponyboy runs out the door and meets up with Johnny, expressing his anger at Darry 's increasing coldness in the wake of his parents ' recent deaths in a car crash. Ponyboy and Johnny wander into a park, where Bob and four other Socs surround them. After some heated talk, Ponyboy spits at the Socs, prompting them to attempt to drown him in a nearby fountain, but Johnny stabs Bob, killing him and dispersing the Socs. Terrified of what to do next, Ponyboy and Johnny rush to find Dally, who gives them money and a loaded gun, directing them to hide in an abandoned church in Windrixville. During their stay there, Pony cuts and dyes his hair as a disguise, reads Gone with the Wind to Johnny, and, upon viewing a beautiful sunrise, recites the poem `` Nothing Gold Can Stay '' by Robert Frost. Days later, Dally comes to check on them, revealing that violence between the greasers and Socs has escalated since Bob 's death into all - out city - wide warfare, with Cherry acting out of guilt as a spy for the greasers. Johnny decides to turn himself in and Dally agrees to take the boys back home. As they attempt to leave, they notice the church has caught fire and several local schoolchildren have become trapped inside. The greasers run inside the burning church to save the children, but Ponyboy is rendered unconscious by the fumes. At the hospital he discovers that he and Dally are not badly injured, but a piece of the church roof fell on Johnny and broke his back. Sodapop and Darry come to the hospital ; Darry breaks down and cries. Ponyboy then realizes that Darry cares about him, and is only hard on Ponyboy because he loves him and cares about his future. The following morning the newspapers declare Pony and Johnny heroes, but Johnny will be charged with manslaughter for Bob 's death. Two - Bit tells them that the greaser -- Soc rivalry is to be settled in a final rumble. Ponyboy and Two - Bit are approached by a Soc named Randy, Bob 's best friend, who expresses remorse for his involvement in the gang war, lacks confidence about the rumble ending the feud, and says he will not participate. Later, Ponyboy visits Johnny at the hospital, where he is in critical condition. On their way home, Pony spots Cherry and they talk. Cherry says she is unwilling to visit Johnny in the hospital because he killed her boyfriend. Pony calls her a traitor, but after she explains herself they end on good terms. After escaping the hospital, Dally shows up just in time for the rumble. The greasers win the brutal fight. Afterward, Pony and Dally hurry back to the hospital to see Johnny, but he dies moments later and a maniacal Dally runs out of the room. Pony returns home that night feeling confused and disoriented. Dally calls the house to say that he has robbed a store and is running from the police. The greasers find Dally deliberately pointing an unloaded gun at the police, causing them to shoot and kill him. Overwhelmed, Ponyboy faints and is sick in bed for several days due to the resulting concussion. When the hearing finally comes, the judge frees Ponyboy from responsibility for Bob 's death and allows Pony to remain at home with Darry and Soda. Ponyboy returns to school, but his grades drop. Although he is failing English, his teacher, Mr. Syme, says he will pass him if he writes a decent theme. In the copy of Gone with the Wind that Johnny gave him before dying, Ponyboy finds a note from Johnny describing how he will die proudly after saving the kids from the fire. Johnny also urges Ponyboy to `` stay gold ''. Ponyboy decides to write his English assignment about the recent events, and begins his essay with the opening line of the novel : `` When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind : Paul Newman and a ride home... '' Major Characters Greasers Ponyboy Curtis : Narrator and the youngest Curtis brother, 14 years old, who gets good grades and runs track. Sodapop Curtis : The middle Curtis brother, 16 years old, a high school dropout who works at a gas station. Darrel `` Darry '' Curtis : The oldest of the Curtis brothers, 20 years old, who has been caring for his brothers since their parents died in a car crash. He is the unofficial leader of the gang. Johnny Cade : Ponyboy 's best friend, 16 years old, who is extremely quiet and lives with his alcoholic and abusive mother and father. Dallas `` Dally '' Winston : A delinquent, 17 years old, he is the roughest of the greasers. He lived on the streets of New York City for three years. Keith `` Two - Bit '' Mathews : A wise - cracking kleptomaniac. Steve Randle : Sodapop 's best friend since grade school. Timothy `` Tim '' Shepard : Leader of another greaser gang : an organized downtown one. He is also a friend of Dally 's. Curly Shepard : Tim Shepard 's younger brother, mentioned as a friend of Ponyboy 's. Sandy : Sodapop 's girlfriend. Socs Sherri `` Cherry '' Valance : Bob 's girlfriend, attends the same high school as Ponyboy. Robert `` Bob '' Sheldon : Cherry 's boyfriend who is stabbed and killed by Johnny. Randy Adderson : A friend of Bob 's and Marcia 's boyfriend. Marcia : Cherry 's best friend and Randy 's girlfriend. Paul Holden : Darry 's old friend from high school. David : A member of the Socs who tried to drown Ponyboy in the fountain. Other Characters Jerry Wood : The schoolteacher responsible for the children who were in the seemingly abandoned church. Mr. Syme : Ponyboy 's English teacher who assigns him a theme to write that becomes the story of the novel itself. Controversy The Outsiders was a controversial book at the time of its publication ; it is still currently challenged and debated. It was ranked # 38 on the American Library Association 's Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 -- 1999. This book has been banned from some schools and libraries because of the portrayal of gang violence, underage smoking and drinking, strong language / slang, and family dysfunction. However, in many U.S. schools, the book is part of the English curriculum at the middle - or high - school level. See also The Outsiders House Museum References Jump up ^ Hinton, S.E. ( 2005 ) ( 1977 ). `` speaking with S.E. Hinton ''. The Outsiders. Speak / Penguin Putnam. p. 162. ISBN 0 - 14 - 038572 - X. ^ Jump up to : Frequently Asked Questions at sehinton.com Jump up ^ Hinton 1967, p. 180. Jump up ^ Fallon, Claire ( 2017 ). `` 50 Years After ' The Outsiders, ' S.E. Hinton Is Sure The Characters Are n't Gay ''. The Huffington Post. HuffPost News ( Oath Inc. ). Jump up ^ `` 100 most frequently challenged books : 1990 -- 1999 American Library Association ''. Ala.org. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Banned Books Awareness : The Outsiders Banned Books Awareness ''. World.edu. 2011 - 05 - 08. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Cummings, Siena ( 2017 ). `` ( www.standard.net/TX/2017/09/24/After-50-years-Outsiders After 50 years, ' Outsiders ' continues to ' stay gold ' ). '' Standard - Examiner. Ogden Publishing Corporation. Bibliography Hinton, S.E. ( 1997 ). The Outsiders. New York : SPEAK. ISBN 9780140385724. External links S.E. Hinton 's Website `` ' The Outsiders ' : 40 Years Later '' By Dale Peck The New York Times September 23, 2007 S.E. Hinton Books The Outsiders Rumble Fish That Was Then, This Is Now Tex Taming the Star Runner Hawkes Harbor Some of Tim 's Stories Big David, Little David The Puppy Sister Books I Love Best Yearly : Older Readers Award The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 133⁄4 by Sue Townsend ( 1990 ) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton ( 1991 ) Where 's Wally ? by Martin Handford ( 1992 ) Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews ( 1993 ) Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta ( 1995 ) Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton ( 1996 ) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ( 1997 ) Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden ( 1998 ) Bumface by Morris Gleitzman ( 1999 ) Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta ( 2000 ) Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling ( 2001 ) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien ( 2002 ) Two of a Kind series by various authors ( 2003 ) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling ( 2004 ) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling ( 2005 ) Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling ( 2006 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Outsiders_(novel)&oldid=856533574 '' Categories : 1967 American novels American young adult novels American novels adapted into films American novels adapted into plays Coming - of - age fiction Debut novels 1965 in fiction American bildungsromans Culture of Tulsa, Oklahoma BILBY Award - winning works Viking Press books Novels set in Tulsa, Oklahoma Hidden categories : Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism Pages to import images to Wikidata Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Italiano עברית Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 25 August 2018, at 22 : 24 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: where did the outsiders take place in the book
Answer: Tulsa, Oklahoma