Stylistic choices of S.E. Hinton
The Outsiders is written as a first-person narrative told in retrospect. Ponyboy has been assigned to write out a theme for his English class and chooses to tell this particular story. A flaw in this choice is that with a first-person narrative the reader is only given the limited perspective of the narrator which in this case is Ponyboy Curtis. However, this choice is beneficial to readers, especially young readers, because it allows them to feel as if they are walking alongside Ponyboy as the story unfurls. There is a sense of intimacy that is increased with a first-person narrative. Hinton uses a prose style that can be noted for its urgency but also for its controlled mature quality. She addresses themes including: appearance vs. reality, the need to be loved and belong, the meaning of honor, and the limits of friendship.
Because The Outsiders is written through the eyes of such a young narrator the language is easy to digest. It is a quick read and not so daunting of an endeavor. It flows nicely from beginning to end and there is no danger of the reader getting lost in the timeline. For this reason the novel has a perfect home in a middle school classroom. The ease of language mixed with fight scenes and other "hoodlum" behavior makes the book inviting to the more reluctant reader.
The Outsiders place in Literary Tradition
The Outsiders falls in line with the ever growing genre of young adult fiction with it's first person narrative and themes dealing with social class, family dynamics, bullying, and the coming of age narrative. The Outsiders shares a strong connection to a critique of social classes that The Catcher in The Rye has, with Ponyboy and Holden both struggling to find their place within the folds of their society. Both these strong characters subvert the societal view of their supposed place in life and the challenge that that brings helps shape their understanding of the world as a whole. The distinct separation of class between the Socs and the Greasers carries Hinton's critique of the injustice of class stratification and the harsh realities of the effect it has on society as a whole.
Another dominate theme in The Outsiders is the issue of bullying, an issue that greatly affects the lives of Ponyboy and the other Greasers as they are constantly fighting with the Socs. This issue is also a main factor of The Chocolate Wars with the main protagonist, Jerry Renualt, having his world relatively upturned because of the campaign Archie and the Vigils wage against him. Bullying is a serious issue that most kids deal with at some point in their primary or secondary school career, whether being the one giving or the one being bullied. Both Outsiders and Chocolate War show young adult readers the effects of what can happens when one submits to the torment of others, but more importantly what can happen when one chooses to stand up and fight back. Dealing with this issue in this way allows the young adult readership an opportunity to evaluate their own situation and see how they can change their perspective on bullying within the realm of their own lives.
S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders during the later half of the 1960's, a time when America was seeing a huge shift in the views of social stratification with the rise of the Civil Rights Movement as the huge population of baby boomers were reaching their teens. This marked a time when the youth of the nation sought after a stronger voice in politics as they called for a world much different from their parents. Though Hinton doesn't address these issues specifically, the influnce of the time is evident in The Outsiders and it's discussion of marginalized people, an issue that society still struggles with today. Hinton wrote Outsiders because she believed it was a story she wanted to read but wasn't available for the youth of that time. Its great success is a direct indication of the very real need for this story to be told and the growing influence that the voice of youth has on society.
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