"The Outsiders" Background, Settings, And Basic Plot

Background, Setting and Plot Page

Synopsis

The story of “The Outsiders” takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is based on two sets of teenagers- the Socs, who are the rich, snobby kids and the Greasers, who are the poor kids from the “other side of the tracks”.

Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy are three brothers, (Greasers), who have been left alone to raise themselves after their parents were killed in an accident. Darry is the oldest and dropped out of college to raise his brothers. When Ponyboy gets jumped by a group of Socs, his best friend accidentally kills a member of the Soc gang, and a nightmare of violence begins between the two groups.

Ponyboy finds himself enveloped in a turbulent chain of events and ends up running away to avoid the police, The boys catch a church on fire and although he and his friend, Johnny rescue some children, in the end, Johnny, dies in the fire. Ponyboy goes back to face the courts and is eventually exonerated and is seen as a hero.

Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy make peace with each other, and resolve to stop fighting and be a real family.

Activities

Having already read the novel it is fun to see the story performed in the movies. The following link will give you the opportunity to watch two eight minute video clips and respond to a few questions. Pay attention and enjoy!

Link to Video Clips and Video Response

When you finish the video and the video response, follow the link below to the Key Elements Review Quiz.

Link to Key Elements Review Quiz

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Images courtesy of http://media.photobucket.com Text and partial content courtesy of Lenzi Hart at Brighthub.com Last updated on July 20, 2010 by Carlene Bailey

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