Chapter 1 Notes

Ponyboy Narrator (first person) Fourteen years old Is small for his age but has a good build Has light-brown, almost-red hair that is long (says he looks better with long hair) Has greenish-gray eyes Lives with two brothers, Sodapop and Darry Describes himself as “different” from his brothers and the other greasers; likes to watch movies alone so he “can get into them” and likes to read books Does not do things that greasers normally do; is not allowed to get into trouble Is smart; does well in school Darry says he does “not use [his] head” (has no common sense)

Ponyboy says that he and Darry “just didn’t dig each other”; he feels like he cannot please Darry Believes that Darry sees him as just another mouth to feed and as someone to holler at Questions whether or not Darry loves him; believes he doesn’t love anyone or anything, except Sodapop Ponyboy doesn’t hardly think of Darry as human Tells himself that he doesn’t care about Darry either, though he admits he is just lying to himself Says, “I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” (Will be important for later – foreshadowing).

Darry (Darrel) Twenty years old (but looks older) Is tough, cool, and smart Six-feet-two Broad-shouldered and muscular Has dark-brown hair that kicks out in front and has a slight cowlick in the back Has eyes that “are like two pieces of pale blue-green ice”; they have a “determined set to them” According to Ponyboy, Darry would be handsome if his eyes weren’t so cold Is hard and firm (serious and strict) Doesn’t understand anything that isn’t plain, hard fact Uses his head (has common sense)

Works too much (and too hard, according to Ponyboy) Has “gone through a lot”; “grown up too fast” Was really popular in school; was the captain of the football team and had been voted Boy of the Year Became the guardian for his two younger brothers (Sodapop and Ponyboy) when their parents died in a car wreck Didn’t have the money for college, even with the athletic scholarship he won Has no time for college now; has no time for anything because he works all the time Ponyboy says Darry “isn’t ever sorry for anything he does” He looks like their father but “[acts] exactly the opposite from him”

Sodapop Sixteen-going-on-seventeen Extremely handsome; like a movie star Has a finely drawn, sensitive face Not as tall as Darry, and slimmer Has dark-gold hair that he combs back; long, silky, and straight; bleaches to a shining wheat-gold in the summer Eyes are dark brown; they are “lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next” Manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the same time Does not drink. Ponyboy says that Sodapop does not need to; “he gets drunk on just plain living” Always “happy-go-lucky and grinning” Will “never grow up at all”

Ponyboy describes Sodapop as “one of a kind”; says he is “different from anybody”; he understands almost everything and everyone Ponyboy also says he “loves Soda more than [he’s] ever loved anyone” Soda tries to stay out of trouble so that he and his brothers can stay together Dropped out of school; works at the gas station Is not afraid of Darry like Ponyboy is; enjoys teasing him Always picks up for Ponyboy when Darry is hard on him Tells Ponyboy that Darry doesn’t mean anything he says when he yells at him; says Darry has more worries than someone his age should He also tells Ponyboy that Darry is proud of him, loves him a lot, and is only trying to protect him because he is the baby (Ponyboy thinks that Sodapop is wrong for once)

Johnny Youngest, next to Ponyboy Sixteen years old Smaller than the rest with a slight build Has big, black eyes in a dark, tanned face Hair is jet-black, heavily greased, and combed to the side; it is so long that it falls in shaggy bangs across his forehead Has a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes Was jumped recently by the Socs Face was cut up and bruised Was found half-conscious by his friends; cried when they found him “Scared of his own shadow after that”

Ponyboy says, “If you can picture a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers, you’ll have Johnny.” Has it very rough at home; father beats him and his mother ignores him, except when she’s angry at him (then she yells) Ponyboy says Johnny “would have run away a million times if [his friends] hadn’t been there.” He also says, “If it hadn’t been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are.” Is the gang’s “pet”

Steve Randle Seventeen years old Sodapop’s best friend Tall and lean Has thick, greasy hair that is combed in complicated swirls Is cocky and smart His specialty is cars Works at the gas station with Sodapop Ponyboy says that Steve doesn’t like him because he tags along with him and Sodapop (at Soda’s request) Ponyboy says he only likes Steve “because he is Soda’s best friend”; he even says at one point that he hates him

Two-Bit Mathews Oldest of the gang; eighteen-and-a-half Six feet tall; stocky in build Very proud of his rusty-colored sideburns Has gray eyes and a wide grin Is a wisecracker; “couldn’t stop making funny remarks to save his life” Ponyboy says, “You couldn’t shut up that guy; he always had to get his two-bits worth in. Hence his name.” Makes smart aleck comments to cops Real name is Keith, but everyone knows him as Two-Bit, even the teachers Ponyboy says life “is one big joke to Two-Bit.” Is famous for shoplifting Has a black-handled switchblade Likes fights, blondes, and school (goes to school “for kicks”) Is still a junior (11th grade) Ponyboy likes him “real well” because he keeps them laughing

Dallas Winston (Dally) “The real character of the gang” Has a dangerous mood Has an elfish face, high cheekbones, pointed chin, small, sharp animal teeth, and ears like a lynx Hair is so blonde that it is almost white Does not like haircuts or hair oil, so his hair falls over his forehead in wisps, kicks out in the back in tufts, and curls behind his ears and along the nape of his neck Eyes are “blue, blazing ice, cold with the hatred of the whole world” Spent three years on the “wild side” of New York Has a poor reputation Gets arrested often (the first time was at age 10}; the police “have a file on him” Tougher than the rest of the greasers – and colder and meaner Is as wild as the boys in real gangs Likes to get drunk; rides in rodeos; lies; cheats; steals; jumps small kids Ponyboy says he doesn’t like Dally “but he was smart and you had to respect him”

Greasers Greasers: poor kids from the East side of town Typical greasers: Are wild Are almost like “hoods” – someone who acts like they are from the ghetto Steal things Drive souped-up cars Hold up gas stations Fight Carry knives Smoke (very typical for young people to smoke in the 1960s) Dress in blue jeans and t-shirts Wear leather jackets and keep their shirttails out Wear tennis shoes or boots

Socs Socs: short for “the Socials”; rich kids from the West side of town Socs: Jump greasers Wreck houses Throw beer blasts Get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next Wear madras shirts Carry knives Drive Mustangs and Corvairs Ponyboy wonders why the Socs hate the greasers so much; the greasers leave the Socs alone

“Gang” Typically refers to an organized group of criminals who engage in rivalries with other gangs In The Outsiders, “gang” refers to a small bunch of friends who stick together Ponyboy says his gang is just a group of boys who have grown up together and who consider each other family Consists of: Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Two-Bit, Steve, Dally, and Johnny He also says there is no true gang rivalry (except with the Socs). The real rivalry is between the social classes.

Slang words Blade: a knife (short for switchblade) Rumble: a fight Usually occurs when two people have a grudge to work out and bring their friends along The cooler: jail Tuff: cool Not to be confused with “tough”, which means “rough and strong” Both are compliments to the greasers Dig: like, understand You dig?: Do you like it? Do you understand?

Girls Greaser girls: Tough, loud Wear too much makeup; giggle and swear too much “The only kind of girls that would look at us” says Ponyboy Dally’s girl, Sylvia, “two-timed” him (cheated), so he broke up with her “for good” Sodapop’s girl, Sandy, is different Hair is natural blonde and her laugh is soft Has soft, china-blue eyes A “real nice girl” Sodapop tells Ponyboy that he is going to marry Sandy someday

Ponyboy is curious about what it’s like to be in love (Sodapop says “It’s real nice”) Ponyboy also wonders what other (non-greaser) girls are like – the ones who are bright-eyed and wear their dresses at decent lengths Says “they’d like to spit on us if given a chance” Also says, “Some were afraid of us” and “looked at us like we were dirt” (This is the same kind of look the Socs have when they drive by in their cars and yell out “Grease!”) Thinks that the “nice” girls look down on him and the other greasers Girl in biology class said, “They are right. You are a hood.” Ponyboy says this didn’t “make [him] feel so hot”

Words Paul Newman = popular actor known for his good looks and blue eyes (1925-2008) Corvair = a Chevrolet automobile model Madras = a fine, firm, cotton cloth, usually striped or plaid, used for shirts, dresses, and so on. Will Rogers = US actor (1879-1935) The cooler = jail Savvy = to understand, to get the idea