The Outsiders - Themes
You can find this storyboard in the following articles and resources:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Lesson Plans by Rebecca Ray
Take a trip back to the 1950s to hitch a ride with Ponyboy Curtis and his brothers. After losing their parents in a tragic automobile accident, the trio are thrown into a life on the streets and caught up in a gang war. Dealing with young adult life is hard enough, but when violence and survival are added to the mix, Ponyboy and his brothers must fight just to get by.
Storyboard Text
- REFERENCES TO LITERATURE
- EXAMPLE 1
- EXAMPLE 2
- EXAMPLE 3
- LOYALTY AND HONOR
- NOTE: When an author references a well-known work of literature, or history, and expects the reader to know and relate to it, this is called an "allusion".
- In the novel, Ponyboy thinks of himself like Pip from "Great Expectations". They share many commonalities. Growing up as a poor orphan, he relates to Pip's struggles.
- "When you're in a gang, you stick up for the other members...like brothers, it isn't a gang anymore."
- This novel has multiple meanings. Johnny uses the southern gentleman as a comparison to Dally, and Ponyboy uses it to remember Johnny. This alludes to "Gone with the Wind".
- In the death of his best friend, Ponyboy learns a valuable life lesson: nothing lasts. This references Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay".
- I had to. They were drowning you Pony, They might have killed you. And they had a blade...They were going to beat me up."
- Ponyboy, a member of the Greasers, has a philosophy about sticking together. He doesn't believe he is in a 'gang'; his honor and loyalty to his friends is like that of family.
- When their parents died, Darrel forfeited a college scholarship to work full-time supporting his younger brothers. This commitment shows his unwavering loyalty to his family.
- Johnny's friendship and loyalty seem to go too far when he kills Bob, a Soc, who started to drown Ponyboy after threatening the two Greasers with a knife.
Over 30 Million Storyboards Created