Belinda "Scout" Jenkins is one of the main characters of the 1990 television series, The Outsiders.
She takes over as Ponyboy Curtis's best friend and possible love interest.
Role in the Series[]
Belinda, or Scout, is a new student at Walker Ridge and a girl who Ponyboy Curtis befriends. In the pilot episode where she met the greasers, she is seen beating up a kid, which Ponyboy and Two-Bit see, she get's caught but escapes. Later that night, Ponyboy sees her crying over a book. When he inquired why she was crying, , where Belinda reveals that she was fighting with her parents and how she hated her name. Before he leaves, Ponyboy gives her advice and inspires her to take on the name Scout after the female protagonist from To Kill A Mockingbird. Later on, Belinda assists Pony and Two-Bit Matthews when a police officer catches them going into a bar while the boys were looking for Buck by saying they were just retrieving her dog. Two-Bit asks for her name and Belinda adopts the nickname "Scout."
Throughout the short-lived series, she develops a strong friendship with Ponyboy and grows as a person. Despite her dysfunctional relationship with her parents, Scout and Mrs. Jenkins reconcile.
Relationships[]
Ponyboy Curtis[]
Ponyboy and Scout become very close friends over the course of the series. In the series, it appears Scout and Ponyboy both share a mutual crush on each other.
Darry Curtis[]
Initially she was disliked by Darry, he thinks of her as one of the guys but thinks she's a bad kid at one point. However, when he gets to know her, Darry starts to like her.
Trivia[]
- Scout is similar to Ponyboy's first best friend, Johnny Cade. They both come from abusive or dysfunctional families, live with their abusive parents, have a mother who yells and berates them all the time and have an alcoholic father and also have similar appearances (black hair and brown eyes). However, unlike Johnny, Scout's parents love her, as Mrs. Jenkins hugs her daughter after her husband held her at gunpoint.
- She almost fell in love with a Soc which she came to the Curtis's crying about him.