Pony runs out of the house and returns to the lot to find Johnny. Darry is furious with Pony and, in the heat of the moment, he hits him. Pony runs home, because the time is way past his curfew, and Darry is waiting up. They fall asleep, and when Johnny wakes Pony up it's 2 a.m. Pony and Johnny go to a vacant lot to hang out before heading home. Cherry stops the fight from happening, and the girls leave with their boyfriends. The boys offer to walk the girls home after the movie, but along the way, the girls' boyfriends reappear and threaten to fight the greasers. Dally leaves after giving the girls a hard time, but another greaser, Two-Bit Mathews, joins Pony and Johnny. There they meet Sherri (Cherry) Valance and her friend Marcia, who have left their Soc boyfriends at the drive-in because the boys were drinking. The next night Pony and two other gang members, Dallas Winston (Dally) and Johnny Cade, go to a drive-in movie. This incident sets the tone for the rest of the story, because the event tells the reader that a fight between these two groups needs no provocation. The Socs badly injure and threaten to kill Ponyboy however, some of his gang happen upon the scene and run the Socs off. The story opens with Pony walking home alone from a movie he is stopped by a gang of Socs who proceed to beat him up. The greasers' rivals are the Socs, short for Socials, who are the "West-side rich kids." The boys are greasers, a class term that refers to the young men on the East Side, the poor side of town. Pony and Soda are allowed to stay under Darry's guardianship as long as they all behave themselves. Ponyboy and his two brothers - Darrel (Darry), who is 20, and Sodapop, who is 16 - have recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. When his friend Ponyboy asks what he wants to get up to he answers, “Nothin’ legal, man.” But that mouth and unchecked energy often gets him into trouble.The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. Dallas is a funny, confident guy, with a quick tongue and even a sharp wit. Personality… impulsive and confused, but ultimately loving. He’s headed down a dangerous, criminal road, and it’s hard to picture a happy ending for him unless he can turn things around fairly dramatically. He wants to be a mentor to younger Greasers, but he’s barely keeping it together himself. As outside pressure mounts, he finds it more and more difficult to cope. That works with some women, but obviously not with all.Ĭhallenge… fixing his attitude. Dallas is a handsome guy, but he doesn’t know much when it comes to talking to women. Relationship Status… not tied down to anyone in particular. He also loves to antagonize the “Socs,” which is short for “Socials,” who are the wealthier, preppier group/gang in Tulsa and the arch-rivals of the Greasers. It’s not the safest way to live, of course, and it’s catching up to him. Dallas has street smarts, charm to spare, and basically does whatever he wants when he wants to do it. Dallas isn’t the kind of guy who holds down a full-time job. Profession… headed toward becoming a full-time criminal. As he tells one of them, “You think my old man gives a hang if I'm dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something? He doesn't care, but that doesn't bother me.” He’s happy to be back in the company of his buddies. He’s back in Tulsa, not making much of an effort to stay out of trouble. He doesn’t have many legitimate prospects so more often than not he turns toward the less legitimate (and often criminal) opportunities that present themselves. Dallas grew up friends with Greasers and naturally became a member of the gang himself. Grew Up… in 1960’s Tulsa, Oklahoma on the wrong side of the tracks.
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