The Outsiders

Hey and welcome to 'diaryofanoverthinker' Today, I’m going to be yapping about my newest (and slightly unhealthy) obsession — The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Seriously, it’s bad… I’m OBSESSED.So sit back, relax, and get comfy for this yap session — fair warning though, spoilers ahead!

The Beginning

So, I first heard about The Outsiders through a Wattpad story called Ezra. It was one of my favorite Wattpad books, and the main character mentioned she had read The Outsiders in high school. Later, I found out we’d be reading it too — in Grade 9!

I’d heard a lot about it over the years but kept putting it off, probably because I knew I’d have to read it eventually anyway. But once we started it in class and my teacher said we could read ahead… let’s just say I went a little overboard. And now? Yep — completely obsessed.

Thoughts on the book

This has easily become one of my favorite books. The whole found family trope, mixed with the emotional gut punch of not just one but two major character deaths, gave it serious Dead Poets Society vibes(minus the English teacher and Poetry oh and of course the fancy boarding school) — and I absolutely loved that. It struck the perfect balance between depth and lightheartedness, and that combo made me fall head-over-heels for it. Plus, it was such an easy read that I flew through it way too fast.

I feel like I really connected with Ponyboy — we had a lot in common, and his narration felt incredibly deep and personal to me. But my favorite character overall? 100% Dally. I know a lot of people start off disliking him, but I loved him from the start. He was raw, real, and just… amazing. And by the end? My heart broke for him, and I loved him even more.He's just the type of character that I love and I will always love the Dally's of books.

I also loved the fact that the entire story was actually Ponyboy’s essay for school — and how the book ended the exact same way it began. That full-circle moment was such a powerful and satisfying way to wrap it all up. It just felt right — like the perfect way to end a book that meant so much.

Another thing I adored was how, despite being such a solid piece of literature, the book tackled real-life issues and had so many powerful lessons woven through the story. Maybe I’m saying this because I had to dig deep into it for an English project (which meant a whole lot of research this past week), but even so, I can see and appreciate all the layered undertones behind the fiction — and I genuinely love every bit of it.

My thoughts on some of the main characters

Ponyboy:
I’ve already mentioned how much I connected with Ponyboy, and I think that’s because I saw parts of myself in him. We shared similar interests, and the way he handled certain situations just reminded me of how I might react. I really loved that — it made his narration feel even more personal and meaningful.

Dally:
I loved Dally from the very beginning. That whole nonchalant, “I don’t care” attitude? A vibe. But at the same time, I had a feeling there was more to him — I’ve read enough books to know that characters like him usually end up being the ones who care the most, even if they don’t show it. And I was so right. The way he helped Ponyboy and Johnny, and especially how he reacted to Johnny dying — or even just seeing Johnny in the hospital — showed how deep his emotions really ran. It made me love him even more.

Johnny:
I don’t think it’s even possible to dislike Johnny. The whole gang loved him, and honestly, every reader does too. I’m not even sure how to explain why I loved him — I just did, from the start. But one of my favorite things about Johnny was how much potential he had. He was just as thoughtful and deep as Ponyboy — maybe even more. You really see that when he interprets the poem Ponyboy never quite understood. As Ponyboy said, Johnny took a bit longer to grasp certain ideas, but once he did, he really engaged with them. I loved that about him.

Sodapop:
Soda had that whole sunshine, happy-go-lucky vibe, and you can really see it in the way he tries so hard to hold his family together. He always made an effort with both his brothers, but no one was really there for him. Maybe Steve was — but we don’t know for sure. I loved Soda from the beginning, but his breakdown at the end was so raw and real that it made me love him even more. There was such unexpected depth hiding behind his smiley, carefree personality.

Darry:
Even though Ponyboy started off resenting Darry, I always saw where Darry was coming from. I felt so bad for him because it was obvious he was doing everything he could to give Ponyboy a better life — one with opportunities he never had. I love characters like Darry, the ones who carry everything on their shoulders without complaint. Honestly, I saw a little bit of Joey Lynch in him (ifykyk), and that made me love him even more.

Cherry:
I think Cherry had the potential to be such a strong main character. You see hints of it early on — especially in her conversation with Ponyboy and how they related to each other. I also loved that she saw the good in Dally before anyone else did. She was layered and interesting, and I honestly wish we got more of her in the story.

Overall

This book was honestly so damn amazing — it spoke to me on so many levels. Having to research it for school actually added even more depth to the experience, and weirdly enough, made me love it even more. I need more books exactly like this in my life.

I’m genuinely obsessed — in love with every single character, every layer of emotion, and all the complexity woven into each of them… even Bob, of all people. Books like The Outsiders don’t just tell a story — they speak to your soul. And now, I’m on a mission to find more stories that hit just as hard.

Thank you so much for letting me yap and I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone reading this loves this book as much as me I hope this spoke to you emotion and I really hope you enjoyed it.

until next time

byeee<333