English
...Oklahoma, a place that she describes as “a pleasant place to live if you don't want to do anything.” She began The Outsiders at the age of fifteen, inspired by her frustration with the social divisions in her high school and the lack of realistic fiction for high school readers. The Outsiders, first published in 1967, tells the story of class conflict between the greasers, a group of low-class youths, and the Socials, a group of privileged rich kids who live on the wealthy West Side of town. Pony boy Curtis belongs to a lower-class group of Oklahoma youths who call themselves greasers because of their greasy long hair. Walking home from a movie, Pony boy is attacked by a group of Socs, the greasers' rivals, who are upper-class youths from the West Side of town. The Socs, short for Socials, gang up on Pony boy and threaten to slit his throat. A group of greasers comes and chases the bullies away, saving Pony boy. Pony boy’s rescuers include his brother Soda pop, a charming, handsome high-school dropout, and Darry, Pony boy’s oldest brother (Darry assumed responsibility for his brothers when their parents were killed in a car crash). The rest of the greasers who come to Pony boy’s rescue are Johnny, a sensitive sixteen-year-old; Dally, a hardened street hood with a long criminal record; Steve, Soda pop’s best friend; and Two-Bit, the oldest and funniest group member. The next night, Pony boy and Johnny go to a movie with Dally. They sit behind a pair of attractive Soc girls. Dally flirts with the girls obnoxiously. After Johnny tells Dally to stop harassing the Soc girls, Dally walks away. Johnny and Pony boy sit with the girls, who are named Cherry and Marcia, and Pony boy and Cherry discover that they have a lot in common. Two-Bit arrives, and the three greasers begin to walk the Soc girls to Two-Bit's house so he can drive them home. On the way to Two-Bit's...
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