@ Rising_Star

wasn't that when Soda left and Pony and Darry tackled him and listened to him cry?

Golly, both you and Andrea are correct. I guess I'm in for a reread as well.

But yeah, that's the part I was talking about.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

One of my favorite scenes (especially from the movie) is when Darry and Soda show up at the hospital and the brothers (with Ponyboy of course) embrace I always cry after Johnny dies because of Dally's reaction; it seems like he becomes so desperate after that.

Wow, it's not every day I remember something better than the expert. (just teasing, RyRy )

narnialover4- Nice of you to drop by!
I was wondering when you'd be back in here. I mean, here you start a thread, and then disappear. But yeah, glad you're here to talk now!

Hmm, so. The "Complete Novel" version of the film hasn't yet reached my doorstep. And it's driving me batty! Anyway, I'll have to content myself with a reread of the book ( ) and making graphics. I know, I'm hopeless...

Hopefully, reading it again... and such, will help me think of other things to say in here.

PA, is the "Complete Novel" version an extended edition of the film? Or is there another difference?

I think one of my favourite parts of the book was when That was also one of the first parts that indicated to me that this book wasn't like I thought it would be.

It came... it came... IT CAME! Like, on wednesday or something. I forget!

PA, is the "Complete Novel" version an extended edition of the film? Or is there another difference?

Basically. See, way I hear it, Coppola was never happy that they had to cut some stuff before it was released. So, after getting letters for many years, asking why certain things weren't there, and already feeling that... he just decided to redo it, adding those back in.* There are like 22 minutes (?) of extra footage. (some new scenes, some are just extended ones) And they changed the soundtrack from the film score that Coppola's dad did, to stuff like the characters would have listened to. (Elvis, for example)

*I had read some of this online somewhere, plus it was mentioned in the special features. I think my fave things said, were what Rob Lowe had to say about his stuff being added back in. (in the original version, most of his stuff was cut out) And I LOVED seeing their reaction to the "new version". (though I haven't yet watched the film with commentary yet... that should be fun! )

And about that one part, I get what you mean.

Ugh, still don't know what else to say. I should read more. (started a reread a couple days ago, got a chapter or two in, before I went to sleep. And haven't been at it since. I should try and read more, huh? I'll get around to it. When I'm not at church, or working on my room, or babysitting, or some such thing)

I read it back during library school. Don't think I liked it all that much- falls into the "guilt trip" bucket.

Ok, I have a question for you all:

So, recently a friend of mine on a different forum read this book on my recommendation. After telling me she loved it, she said:

For some reason, this really bothered me. I mean, sure it was wrong of the Socs to try to drown Ponyboy. And I know Johnny did what he did to save Pony. But, that doesn't mean

I mean, didn't even Pony feel bad about it, and wonder what he'd been like? He even went so far as to mention him when he mentioned Johnny and Dally at the end. Talked of how all of this was senseless, wondering why they couldn't all just get along.

I guess my question is this: Were you sad that

Personally, the whole thing makes me sad. That Pony is always worrying about if he'll be split up from his brothers. About losing people he cares about. Thinking of how the other Socs felt (not just Cherry and Randy). About how the two sides don't get along. About how it relates to cliques in schools now. Or even on a grander scale, of, why can't the whole world get along? I find this book still to be relevant, and really an important message. So, yeah. The fact that my friend (even if she is younger than me, and hasn't been through as much) wasn't bothered by it... it just didn't sit well with me. So, after puzzling over it for a few days, I thought I'd ask you.

Ah, I see, PA. Thanks. And I'm glad you understood what I meant about that part.
As for your question, [spoiler=]I wasn't necessarily sad when Bob died, but I wasn't surprised, either. He was a complete idiot and jerk, but you do have to wonder what those times that Cherry mentioned were like. When he died, though, I didn't think "Oh, he finally got what was coming to him!" I wanted him to have justice served to him, but that obviously wasn't going to happen (no hard proof, even if Johnny could've got the police involved) in the situation. And I kind of got the impression that he was just another casualty. Which, I thought, was the real tragedy: Everyone just got all caught up in the societal "boundaries" and got dragged down and no one seemed to care or be able to help. I think that was what you were also saying, though, PA. But, then, that makes the ending all the more hopeful. I mean, I just thought of it, and that one teacher did just care. He knew Pony had the potential to rise above the circumstances and he knew Pony was just going to waste his life if he didn't snap out of it. And I think Pony realised that in the end, and seemed to want to strive on and to show that even if they were looked down upon by all, they were still human, no matter where they were. [/ramble][/spoiler] Hopefully that makes sense.

Aravis Narnia, do you think you could explain why you didn't like it? I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "guilt trip".

Yeah, that all made sense.

I read it when I was younger (12 I think) and loved t. However reading it again, I don't like it as much. I think that it was very well written for a 16 year ld (Hinton was 16 at the time right?) but that wasn't enough. I didn't understand how Dally was gallant and felt as a result gang life was a bit glorified. I also felt Hinton did not accuratley portray a teen male. She did a pretty good job, but it could have been beter. I think the book is excellent for preteen but it won't have the same effect on a teen or older.

The movies, I think made had the flaw of puting the books directly on screen and as a result, it did not translate well. The book is hard to transfer to screen as much of it takes place in peoples thoughts and emotions. Some of the lines that worked in the book, didn't work in the movie. I mean, this is the first time that I have complained about a movie being too close to the book. It has always been not close enough!

They just had to adapt it better onto screen, like show what the character may be thinking and feeling instead of telling, because that doesn't work for movies.

I did love the music and the actors were attractive.
Both the book and the movie were entertaining.

I guess my question is this: Were you sad that

Spoiler

Bob Sheldon died?

Er... No.

Spoiler

He made his choices; he didn't have to turn out the way he did. I was glad to get a more sympathetic view of him from Cherry, but still there are other people I'd rather use up sympathy on. The "since we're all good deep down, why can't we just get along" theme is not one I'm a big fan of, and I'm glad she didn't emphasise it more. The question is wrong to begin with, so the book could provide no answer.

Anyhow, I had been meaning to read this for a while and finally got around to it when I heard there was going to be a SF on it! After reading that the author was only 16, I was expecting the book to be pretty bad, honestly It was better than I expected and I enjoyed it.

The writing wasn't amazing, and in places the boys were a bit too, I don't know, sensitive and imaginative? to come across as realistic teenage gang members. For me, personally, that makes for a more enjoyable story (less gritty and depressing, easier to empathise with the characters), WRONG though it may be, so I have mixed feelings about that...

Although it has hardly any female characters, it's not really a boys' book--I'm sure there are some guys who like it but it doesn't have that "feel," and the author's voice is very clearly female. I doubt any of my brothers or guy friends would like it much. Not necessarily a bad thing, just The Way It Is. (In my opinion anyway ) [/tangent]

The names still baffle me--is there some symbolism behind Sodapop and Ponyboy, or did she just do that to mess with people's minds?

I haven't seen the film; it's on my loooong list. Anyone know anything about this?

Princess Anna: You mean you don't know the exact date that it came? Including the exact minutes and seconds?

Please note that this Special Feature will close Saturday, August 14. Discussion about The Outsiders may continue in the Books thread and the appropriate Movies topic.

I think the book is excellent for preteen but it won't have the same effect on a teen or older.

First of all, welcome to Narniaweb!

Second, I wouldn't be so sure about the part I quoted above...
Although I loved it when I was younger, I think I enjoyed it even more, and got more out of it now that I'm older. (I'm twenty-six, in case you wondered) Now, maybe that's just me. But maybe that rings true with some others, as well... we don't know. So, you liked it better when younger, great! So, I like it even more NOW... still great! We're all different... see and feel things differently. And that's ok. Everyone's opinion matters. That's part of what makes talks like this so fun, and such a growing experience. Because we all bring different life experiences to the mix.

Aly, I think I read something about there being a tv show... when I got interested in all this again. (before I was able to get the movie or book, I did a lot of looking stuff up online ) Never seen it, though. So I can't tell you much more than that, sorry!

Princess Anna: You mean you don't know the exact date that it came? Including the exact minutes and seconds?

Sorry, nope! haha!

I could have, if I had come running in here the day I got it... but I wanted to watch it first, naturally. And I don't think I got to it, that day even. Didn't want to run in and post "I got it, it came, WOO-HOO!"... that's lacking substance. So, I waited til I had something to add to the conversation, and THEN I showed up to tell ya. And by then, the exact date and time was lost to my scatterbrained brain.

Thanks for all your opinions, guys! It was a most fascinating conversation! Maybe I'm just more sensitive to these sorta things, who knows. Anyway, it was fun! And if you ever want to talk more about it (or anything else!) with me... feel free to shoot me a pm!