Seventh-Graders' Opinions About The Outsiders

The Outsiders was recently read in the 7I English classes, so what were students’ opinions about it? 

The Outsiders,  written by S.E Hinton, was published in 1967. It is about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis, and his gang, which call themselves Greasers. Their rivals are the Socs, but everything changes after the Socs do something to Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny Cade. Reading The Outsiders at Fitz this year gave many students an opportunity to see their world differently, and even realize that they may be going through the same problems as some of the characters. So the question is, what did Fitz students think?

The Outsiders is a big part of English at Fitz and maybe even all over the world.  “I would recommend The Outsiders to any and everybody. It has great characters that readers connect with and care about. It has a lot of action, so much happens in such a short time. Finally, it has a very positive message about what is important in life and making good choices,” said Ms. Trujillo. For example, the positive message from The Outsiders can be to live your own life and not think about all of the bad stuff. 

Not only is this book inspirational, but students also think that The Outsiders is a book that they can relate to. An anonymous 7th grader said, “The emotions I felt while reading The Outsiders were empathy and realization. I felt empathy because I felt that Ponyboy worked hard in school and tried to be loved equally. I also felt realization because S.E. Hinton did a very good job at showing a different perspective of life.” The Outsiders gives you a chance to realize many different things like life isn't always fair. The novel also allows readers to feel empathy for the characters, which can cause most readers to relate to the story even more. These students could be living the same lifestyle at home with similar problems to the characters; for example, growing up in a violent environment.

The Outsiders can also impact how we think. An anonymous 7th grader responded, “The Outsiders can impact how we think because it shows how some people could live without others actually knowing what they are going through.” By reading the novel, students can learn to be more aware of how they treat people because you never know what they are going through. For example, in the book, the Socs jumped Johnny, obviously not knowing that he had a lot of problems at home. If they had known what happened in Johnny’s past, there could've been a possibility that they could have left him alone. 

Overall, The Outsiders really did have a huge impact on Fitz. This 7th-grade year was an amazing experience to read during English 7I, and everyone should be excited or looking forward to reading this amazing book.