THE OUTSIDERS

Comparison between the Book and Movie: The Outsiders

Comparison between the Book and Movie: The Outsiders

Introduction

The book and movie, The Outsiders, had many similarities and many differences. The Outsiders is an excellent tale by S. E. Hinton, and the movie was high-quality as well. There was a huge variation between the two. There were also tiny details that were precisely the same. The book and movie had many similarities and differences.

The similarities are a huge part of what makes the movie great. The movie and the book both had the complete Greaser gang. Johnny, Darry, Pony, Steve, Soda, Two-Bit and Dally. The characters had the same personality and age in the movie and book. The newspaper explained how the Greasers, although very unlikely, were heroes because they saved the kids in the fire. The newspaper also read that the Curtis boys might be split up, sending Pony and Soda to a boys home. The movie and book also incorporated the rumble how Pony and Dally visited Johnny before and after the rumble, how the Socs fled and how the Greasers won. Finally, the movie and the book both had the beginning and ending be the movie house and Paul Newman. The similarities were an outstanding part of the movie.

Although there were many similarities, there were huge differences in the book and the movie. In the book, there is a rich west side and a poor east side. In the movie, there is a rich south side Soc and a poor north side Greaser. Also, the movie did not show the part where Pony got jumped. The book went into this in great detail. In addition to this, the movie left out some characters, and made other characters in more minor roles. The movie did not mention Sandy, and Sodapop had an extremely smaller role. Finally, the movie did not have Pony failing his English class, therefore Pony writing the essay, which turned into this book, made no sense. These differences made the book and the movie very special.

The Critical Analysis of the Movie and Book: The Plot

The plot for the 1983 movie of The Outsiders closely follows the events related in S. E. Hinton's book. The film opens with Ponyboy Curtis, the narrator of the book, opening a notebook and writing, under the title "The Outsiders," the first line of the book. Though he narrates the book, he does not reflect on the act of writing in it. His writing and the lined paper he is writing on are superimposed on the top of the screen, leading into the movie's opening credits (Inderbitzin, 2003). After the credits, the scene opens on Ponyboy and Johnny Cale meeting Dallas Winston on a street corner and walking through town. They pass through a drive-in hamburger stand, where a fistfight breaks out, with both fighters eventually brandishing switchblades. The drive-in, along with the song on the soundtrack ("Gloria," released by the band Them in 1964), helps establish the time frame of the movie, while ...