Ponyboy Curtis is the main protagonist and narrator of the 1968 novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, the 1983 film adaptation and the 1990s television series. Fourteen years old, he is a member of the Gang known as the "Greasers." Throughout the course of the coming of age novel, Ponyboy experiences losses and growths as a person.
In the film adaptation of the same name, Pony was portrayed by C. Thomas Howell and Jay R. Ferguson in the short-lived television series of the same name.
Background[]
Ponyboy Curtis is a teenager who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with two older brothers, Darrel (nicknamed "Darry" by his friends) and Sodapop. A couple of months before the events of the novel, Pony was orphaned at the age of thirteen when his parents from a car wreck, leaving all three brothers alone and Darry gaining custody of his younger brothers. He belongs to the gang known as the Greasers, a group of juvenile delinquents who are rivals of the wealthy rich kids known as Socials ("Socs") and is best friends with Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston. Among the other members of Pony's gang includes Soda's best friend from grade school, Steve Randle, and Keith "Two Bit" Matthews.
Physical appearance[]
Ponyboy is fourteen years old during the events of The Outsiders; however, in the television series, Pony was fifteen years old. He described himself as having long reddish brown hair and green eyes. He mostly keeps his long hair greased back.
When he and Johnny were in hiding, Ponyboy dyed his hair blonde and cut it shorter. In the film, Ponyboy's hair is changed to a darker brown rather than it's reddish brown color and he was seen wearing a blue tank, gray sweater, and blue jeans.
Personality[]
Darry characterizes Ponyboy as lacking common sense, which Ponyboy agrees with. He is smart at school, but sometimes he just doesn't think properly. These occasions get Ponyboy into trouble that he could avoid. This aspect of his character evolves throughout the story into maturity.
He is fairly quiet, and only opens up to a few people. He spends a lot of time alone. Cherry Valance describes Ponyboy as sweet and dreamy. He often lives in his own world of books, movies, and sunsets. Ponyboy is more compassionate than some of the other greasers, pitying the Socs several times in the novel and questioning the purpose of fighting between the two social classes. He is also willing to help others, as shown when he runs into the burning church to save the schoolchildren, or when he picks up broken glass bottle pieces off the ground so that a car doesn't get a flat tire.
Appearances[]
The Outsiders[]
Film Adaptation[]
Ponyboy's role in the film remains the same, but some events were initially omitted from the original film's cut. For example, the Socs who attack him in the beginning of the first chapter was ultimately cut, as were some aspects of Ponyboy's complex relationship with Darry. His illness shortly after Dally's and Johnny's deaths is also cut from the film, as are Ponyboy's and Darry's arguments at the end of the film.
However, the scenes were restored for the extended cut released in 2006.
Television Series[]
In the short-lived television series that aired on Fox, Ponyboy is one of the main characters, and the narrator of each episode, in which he learns valuable lessons and improves on his relationships with his brothers as they fight to stay together. Since Johnny's death in the book and film, Ponyboy becomes best friends with a young girl, Belinda Jenkins, who he nicknames "Scout," after the heroine from To Kill a Mockingbird.
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