The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (Review #5)

"Things are rough all over."

-S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders

I was introduced to this story by my English teacher back in middle school, and I don’t know what it was that caught me the most, but I fell in love with it. Maybe it was the characters, the power of friendship that’s strongly expressed, the scarcity of love and kindness in this world, the unexpected ending, I don’t know. Maybe it was all of those things. My point is, sometimes it is our favourite stories that we’re not sure of, but we hold on to it anyway. We hold on to it dearly because to be honest, in the strangest ways it changes us. We also hold on to it because to find something so close to our heart is rare in today’s world.

“You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want.”

- S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders

I remember reading the last page for the very first time. My table mate’s already spoiled the ending for me, but I didn’t care (although, I did hold a tiny little grudge on him for awhile), I was still stunned. You don’t expect that kind of closure from how things were going. You just don’t. Now, unlike my other reviews, I refuse to spoil the ending on this one, because of how angry I’d gotten when that dude spoilt it for me. I truly believe that you’d have to read it yourself to go through all the emotions. It will be worth it, trust me.

This story is one I go back to every time. You know how everybody has that one song, or line, or movie that they listen to, or read, or watch over and over again as comfort? The Outsiders is the one for me. I’ve never felt more attached to characters in a novel than this one. It surprises me how, no matter how many times I’ve read it so far, every single word still touches me. And funny enough, I’ve never actually owned the novel until two days ago. The first time I read it, I borrowed the book from the school library, and then all the multiple times after that, I read it online. I guess it’s strange how it’s always your favourite thing that you don’t really own, or go through a struggle to own. But that’s also the best part! So, after going to the bookstore in the city (finally!) to purchase it, I started reading it all over again as soon as I was home, and couldn’t put it down. Just like the first time. And the emotions were still as raw as it could have been. I greeted the characters as if they were old friends of mine, and though I knew exactly how it was going to end and what was going to happen, curiosity still filled my mind. I don’t know why I expect a different ending every time I read it. But then I think, would I be satisfied with a different ending? And the answer is: No.

“Maybe the two worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.”

- S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders

Now, I know that this is suppose to be a book review. And I’m suppose to actually review the story. But, I don’t know how. I don’t think there is anything I’d criticise about this book. I know this sounds cliche, and I rarely ever say this: but I would never dare to change anything about The Outsiders. Is it perfect? Of course not. Nothing is. I think if you’d read the story you’d come to realise this pretty quickly. It’s imperfect, but perfect enough for me as a reader. Like I said before, maybe I’d like to change the ending if it could, but then the the story wouldn’t be called The Outsiders anymore. And I wouldn’t like to ever fall in love with another version of The Outsiders. 

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: It’s just a story! And maybe it is for some people, but not for me. The Outsiders is so much more than that. It is so much more than just words on a paper. It has taught me the good and the bad about people, and how when you truly care about someone, those flaws don’t mean a thing. It has taught me that the nicest people can be the most broken, that nothing is as it seems. It has taught me about friendship. Real friendship, the kind you see on TV but wished could be better. Truth is, the perfect friendship don’t need to be perfect. Sodapop and Steve comes to my mind as I’m writing this. The Outsiders has taught me about the sacrifices you make for the people that you love, how you’d give up on your hopes and dreams for others to reach. Darry. It has taught me to be content with what I have and what I am given, to keep my head up and keep laughing. Two-Bit. It has taught me to be selfless regardless of my position. Johnny. It has taught me that people, even the toughest ones, has a breaking point. Dally. But most of all, The Outsiders, a story I originally though I wouldn’t like, has taught me that I can use my voice to make a change. Ponyboy.

Because as hard as it is to believe, there’s still lots of good in the world.

Stay Gold.

“Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the sights you want to see.”

- S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders

Note: 

I would’ve hoped they added more scenes in the movie, although I won’t complain too much about it. It’s still a favourite of mine regardless of what I’d said. It has some of the biggest stars as the characters, so try not to fangirl too much.

Going back to that idea of the lack of scene, I’d recommend reading the book first before watching it (I try to always do this with every movie that’s based on a novel), as you’ll have the background info of the characters and scenes when the movie starts. 

Also, whether you’re reading the novel or watching the movie, keep a box (maybe two, just in case) of tissues next to you. Trust me, you’ll need it. I’ve spent countless nights crying because of this story no matter how ready I thought I was.

Enjoy.