The Outsiders Movie And Book Comparison

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy is not the ordinary fourteen- year- old boy for he is a greaser, a poor person known to be a public disgrace from the East side of town. All of his life he has been living as a nothing compared to the Socs, the rich kids from the West-side. He doesn’t know if he should be proud of who he is until his entire world changes. When his friend murders one of the Socs, they flee until they find themselves saving school children from a fire. From delinquents to heroes, they have changed who they are and their future. After reading the book and watching the movie, …show more content…
However, the book and the movie do have their similarities. In the beginning of both the movie and the book, the main characters of the movie, Ponyboy Curtis, Dallas Winston, and Johnny Cade, are revealed. Both versions of The Outsiders also show the situation that the Greasers are in. For an example, the book shows the situation that the Greasers are in when Ponyboy is jumped by the Socs while the movie also shows their situation through how they look and act when they head to the movies. Though they have their similarities, both the book and the movie have their differences. The beginning of the book shows an important scene not included in the movie where Ponyboy is jumped by the Socs. This is important because not only does it show who the Greasers are but also the Socs. In the movie, there is no introduction of the Socs as Ponyboy, Dallas, and Johnny go to the movies. As a result, the book emotionally connects to the audience more through this scene making it an important reason why the book is better than the movie. On the other hand, this is not the only reason why because the movie also loses its connection with the audience in another scene where Randy Anderson comes to Pony’s house to …show more content…
The audience is more emotionally connected to the book than the movie through scenes not included or changed in the movie such as when Ponyboy is jumped by the Socs, when Randy comes to Pony’s house to talk, and when Sodapop runs away from home to the park. Only the beginning of the book shows both an introduction of the Greasers and the Socs when Ponyboy is jumped by the Socs. Also, only the book shows Randy’ feelings about the hearing. Finally, it is the book and the book only that contains information about Soda’s love for Mickey Mouse and Sandy. So next time, take a good look at the movie and make sure to reread the book. You will never know how many similarities and differences you will