Line #56 Characters/TheOutsiders


1	!The Greasers
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder: Ponyboy Curtis]]
6	The main protagonist of the book. His parents died when he was younger, so he lives with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry. He's fourteen, and very intelligent; he even skipped a grade. Played by Creator/CThomasHowell in the film.
7	----
8	* AdaptationalWimp: In the final fight he gets beaten pretty badly. In the book, however, he actually puts up a decent fight.
9	* BadassBookworm: He enjoys reading and can kick ass in a rumble.
10	* BerserkButton: People questioning if "Ponyboy" is his real name. Also, being called "white trash with long greasy hair".
11	* BigBrotherWorship: When the gang is introduced his description of his brother Sodapop makes it obvious just how much he admires him. He even mentions loving Soda more than he did his own parents.
12	* BreakTheCutie: He's the youngest member of the group, and he sure does go through a whole lot. Getting wrapped up in a murder, running away from home, [[spoiler: dealing with the death of his best friend.]]
13	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: To some extent.
14	* HeroicRROD: Just when you think he's had one, he finally passes out for three days after Dallas dies.
15	* TheHero: He's the center of the story. The last lines of the book suggest that the whole thing was a story he wrote for school.
16	* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: At the end of the book he starts writing a story -- suggested to be the very story of the novel -- so that the rest of the world can know just what delinquent teens' lives are actually like.
17	* ItsAllMyFault: At one point in his HeroicBSOD he is determined to testify that he killed Bob; fortunately everyone can see how delirious he is and doesn't press him.
18	* NobodyTouchesTheHair: He's really fond of his hair, and Johnny even tells him that he and Soda had the coolest hair in town. Too bad for Pony, because he has to cut and bleach it after he runs away.
19	* TagalongKid: Played with in that the gang consists of the childhood friends of his older brothers, but Steve seems to be the only one that truly considers him as such. He's shown to hang out with Dallas and Two-bit without the presence of either of his brothers, and is very close with Johnny.
20	* TookALevelInBadass: After being acquited in the trial, Ponyboy is confronted by some Socs out in the parking lot of a convenience store. Ponyboy notes that rather than feeling threatened [[TranquilFury he feels... nothing.]] He puts out his cigarette, [[GrievousBottleyHarm breaks the bottom of his Pepsi bottle]] and [[TheSlowWalk approaches the Socs]], who immediately go back inside their cars and drive off.
21	* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Both he and Sodapop are quick to remind people that yes, those are their legal names.
22	[[/folder]]
23
24	[[folder: Johnny "Johnnycake" Cade]]
25	Sixteen-years-old and Pony's best friend. Both of his parents are abusive, and his real family is the gang. Played by Creator/RalphMacchio in the film.
26	----
27	* AbusiveParents: His father beats him every time Johnny is home and his mother ignores him. When the nurse tells him his mom has come to see him, he tells her he doesn't want to see her, assuming she's angry at him for his troubles.
28	* BewareTheNiceOnes[=/=]BewareTheQuietOnes: He was always nice, but after getting jumped, he became even quieter and started carrying a switchblade. He is the first of the Greasers to actually kill someone, using that very switchblade.
29	* BreakTheCutie: Four months before the start of the story, Johnny got jumped by four Socs and got badly beaten, since then, Ponyboy describes him as being constantly jumpy and extremely sensitive.
30	* DeathSeeker: The first half of the story has him as this somewhat, but getting critically injured in the fire led him to changing his mind about wanting to die.
31	* HeroWorship: As stated by Ponyboy, Johnny completely idolizes Dallas.
32	* HeroicSacrifice: Johnny risks his life to rescue some children from the burning church in Windrixville. His actions help to get all the kids out safely, but he is critically injured when the burning building collapses in on him and eventually dies from his injuries.
33	* IDidntMeanToKillHim: Bob. Good thing he did though, or else Pony would be dead instead.
34	* InSeriesNickname: Johnnycake.
35	* KillTheCutie: He dies in the hospital after saving children from a fire.
36	* MoralityPet: He's this to Dallas, who loves him more than anything else in the world. [[spoiler:Johnny's death leads to Dallas having a total breakdown, ultimately [[SuicideByCop provoking the police into shooting him.]]]]
37	* OlderThanTheyLook: Ponyboy comments to himself that Johnny looks rather younger than his actual age of 16 and that it really bugs Johnny.
38	* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler: After realizing he's going to die,]] Johnny writes a letter to Ponyboy asking him to get Dallas to see a sunset and see the good in the world, wanting Ponyboy to help Dallas like it helped him.[[spoiler: Sadly deconstructed, because by the time Ponyboy reads the letter, it's too late to do anything to help Dallas.]]
39	* TheSmartGuy: Turns out to be the wisest and most levelheaded.
40	* TeamPet: He's affectionately considered this to the greasers, and especially to Dallas.
41	* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: He's undoubtedly more pure of heart than just about everyone else in the story, and ultimately dies from his injuries saving children from a burning building.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder: Sodapop Curtis]]
45	Pony's older brother, the middle child. Tough, smart and handsome, he's a dropout who works at the same gas station as his best friend, Steve. Played by Creator/RobLowe in the film.
46	----
47	* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Ponyboy, though much less harshly than Darry.
48	* ChickMagnet: He is noted to have many female admirers.
49	* EveryoneLovesBlondes: He's a blond ChickMagnet. His hair is noted to be one of his attractive features.
50
51	* TheHeart: Isn't as much focused as the other characters, but provides support.
52
53	* HeroicBSOD: In the final chapter, he is finally overcome by everything that's happened, and what finally drives him to the breaking point is when Sandy [[spoiler: returns his letter unopened]].
54	** He has another one when he's finally had enough of his brothers' arguing and putting him in the middle, tearfully reminding them that all they have is each other.
55	* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Steve.
56	* MrFanservice: If his gratuitous ShowerScene in the film adaptation had anything to say about it...
57	* NiceGuy: Is a genuinely easy-going and friendly guy.
58	* OnlySaneMan: Often has to mediate between his brothers.
59	* PapaWolf: Not to the same level as Darry, but still has his moments. After the rumble, Ponyboy sees him straddling an unconscious Soc muttering to himself. Darry later explains that the Soc was the one who kicked Ponyboy in the head and that Sodapop kept pounding him during the rest of the fight.
60	* PrettyBoy: Sodapop is often described by Ponyboy as looking like a movie star or a Greek God.
61	* TragicDropout: Subverted. To strangers, he appears to be this. In reality, he was never academically inclined and loves his job at the gas station, so he's content with his life.
62	* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: His birth certificate confirms that his name really is Sodapop. Ponyboy explains to everyone their dad was a unique guy, hence the unique names.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder: Darrel "Darry" Curtis Jr.]]
66	Pony and Soda's oldest brother, who took over the family after the death of their parents. He's often a jerk to Ponyboy, but this is really just how he expresses his feelings. Played by Creator/PatrickSwayze in the film.
67	----
68	* AloofBigBrother: His relationship with Ponyboy has some strain, mainly because of all the other responsibilities he's saddled with.
69	* AngerBornOfWorry: When Ponyboy comes home late, Darrel angrily chastises his brother, but he has a good reason to be angry. If he called the police, Pony would be taken out of his care and put in a boys home, meaning his only option was to wait at home with no idea if he brother was safe or not.
70	* AntiHero: Though less so in the film.
71	* BigBrotherInstinct: Though Pony has his doubts that it’s really there.
72	* BigGood: As the oldest greaser, he's the unofficial leader.
73	* BlessedWithSuck: Multiple times, Ponyboy mentions that the only thing that separates Darry from being a Soc is the gang. Because their parents had died, he had to forego college so that he could take care of Sodapop and Ponyboy and not have the brothers be separated.
74	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's tough on Ponyboy and seems to view him as an annoyance, but he does love him and watches out for him.
75	* TheLeader: Unofficial one, being the strongest and oldest.
76	* ManlyTears: Darry cries when he and Sodapop are reunited with Ponyboy at the hospital. In the novel, Darry is able to hold back his tears until after Ponyboy apologizes for running away, but in the film, Darry is full-on crying as soon as he sees Ponyboy and clutches him in relief.
77	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When he gets into a fight with Ponyboy, he ends up knocking him to the ground, which causes Pony to run away. A letter from Sodapop later on reveals that Darry is deeply ashamed of what he did.
78	* OddNameOut: Inverted. He's the only one of the Curtis siblings to actually have a normal name.
79	* PapaWolf: He kept an eye out for Ponyboy during the rumble, assuming that Soda was able to handle himself.
80	* PromotionToParent: Their parents were killed in a car accident, leaving him to figure out how to keep themselves fed and a roof over their heads.
81	* TeamDad: Team Big Brother is probably more appropriate, but all the other Greasers, even Dallas, look up to him as a leader.
82	* TheSixthRanger: He wasn't originally a member of the Greasers, but became one in order to take care of his younger brothers instead of going to college.
83	* TragicDropout: He got a menial job in order to take care of his younger siblings after their parents died, instead of going on to college.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder: Dallas "Dally" Winston]]
87	The roughest member of the gang, who has also been to prison the most. He's Johnny's idol. In the film, he's played by Creator/MattDillon.
88	----
89	* AntiHero: When Pony tells him that [[spoiler:he and Johnny murdered Bob]], he helps them by giving them the supplies they’ll need to temporarily go up to an abandoned church.
90	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:He loses it after Johnny's death.]]
91	* TheDreaded - Described as the toughest, meanest, with a mile long rap sheet. Ponyboy points out that Dally is so real he's scary.
92	* FreudianExcuse: Dally became a hardened thug because he would have died years ago if he didn't, his father didn't care about him and grew up on rough streets.
93	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's resigned to the fact that he is a worthless criminal. It's even stated in the novel that he always gets what he wants, but that there isn't anything he wouldn't do for the other greasers.
94	* TheLancer: The most cynical of the greasers.
95	* IncomingHam: During the rumble scene when he busts out of the hospital.
96	--> '''Dallas:''' Don't you know a rumble's not a rumble '''''WITHOUT ME!!!!'''''
97	* LovableRogue: He has a huge criminal record and an even huger heart.
98	* NominalHero: He's one of the main characters, but he's got a huge criminal record and is easily the roughest of the Greasers.
99	* TokenEvilTeammate: The most amoral behavior and with his background... yeah.
100	* SuicideByCop: [[spoiler:Tricks the police into shooting him by pointing an empty handgun after he robs a store after Johnny's death.]]
101	* UndyingLoyalty: He may be a delinquent with a rap sheet a mile long, but once he's your friend, he's your friend for ''life''.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder: Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews]]
105	Another member of the Greaser's gang. Played by Creator/EmilioEstevez in the film.
106	----
107	* BewareTheNiceOnes / BewareTheSillyOnes: Out of all the Greasers, Two-Bit is the least serious and one of the nicer ones of the bunch. However, after visiting Johnny in the hospital, he emphatically lets Mrs. Cade know that he has no time for her crap.
108	--> '''Mrs. Cade:''' I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SEE HIM! HE'S MY SON!!! [[UngratefulBastard HE'D RATHER SEE THESE NO GOOD PUNKS THAN HIS OWN MOTHER!? You're Scum!]]
109	--> ''' Two-Bit:''' [[BrutalHonesty No wonder he hates your guts!]] [[CallingTheOldManOut You don't even care about him,]] [[TheAlcoholic you damn drunk!]] [[SeeYouInHell You go straight to hell, go right to hell!]]
110	* TheBigGuy: Though others would fit this position in the Five Man Band, this is basically Two-Bit’s only one.
111	** Ironically, though he is described in the novel as being about six feet tall, he is played in the film by 5' 6 1/2" Emilio Estevez.
112	* BrilliantButLazy: He probably could graduate if he weren't so lazy and fun-loving.
113	* CloudCuckoolander: He comes off this way due to constantly wisecracking. Ponyboy even calls him scatterbrained.
114	* FascinatingEyebrow: Almost a tic for him.
115	* LargeHam: Larger than Dallas.
116	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name is Keith, but everyone, including his teachers, calls him "Two-Bit".
117	* RealMenWearPink: In the movie, Two-Bit is a big Mickey Mouse fan. He is typically seen wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt and, at the Curtis home, he enjoys his breakfast of chocolate cake and beer while raptly watching the Mickey Mouse cartoon ''WesternAnimation/MickeysTrailer''.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder: Steve Randle]]
121	Another member of the gang, who has been Soda's best friend for as long as he can remember. He doesn't particularly like Ponyboy, but he's not a {{jerkass}}. Played by Creator/TomCruise in the movie.
122	----
123	* AbusiveParents: His dad throws him out every once in a while, only to try to buy him back home.
124	* GreaseMonkey: Works with Soda at the garage store and he is quite good at it.
125	* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Soda.
126	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is abrasive but cares about the gang. Ponyboy thinks that most of it comes from his pent up aggression toward his father.
127	* TheBigGuy: Shares this with Two-Bit.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	!!Socs
131	The rich kids from East Side with all the breaks.
132
133	[[folder: Sherri "Cherry" Valance]]
134	A high school cheerleader who Johnny and Pony meet at the movies. She takes a liking to Ponyboy, stating that he's not like other Greasers, and this was enough to eventually open her eyes to what they are really like. Dated Bob [[spoiler:before he was killed by Johnny.]] Played by Creator/DianeLane in the film.
135	----
136	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Her boyfriend Bob and Dallas.
137	** Inverted into SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan [[spoiler:with Ponyboy, whom she admits to liking since the moment they met.]]
138	* AlphaBitch: Averted, although Ponyboy thinks she seems like the type at first.
139	* FieryRedHead: Mostly towards Dallas at first. It's downplayed, though, as she's mostly a NiceGirl towards Pony and Johnny.
140	* EleventhHourRanger: She helps the greasers by acting as their spy for the rumble with the Socs. Then testified on Ponyboy and Johnny's behalf.
141	* TheMole: Sodapop calls her a spy, but Cherry doesn't see it that way. All she does is pass along that the brawl is planned to be a fistfight. [[spoiler:Clearly, she was lied to]].
142	* NotSoAboveItAll: She tells Ponyboy that being a Soc isn't all it's cracked up to be, and is in fact a pretty empty existence.
143	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: She states in the book that she's called "Cherry" because of her red hair. Her real name is Sherri.
144	* RedheadsAreRavishing: She gets some ShipTease with Ponyboy.
145	* ShipTease: Although she and Ponyboy acknowledge each other's attractiveness, they never go beyond friendship.
146	* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Between having dated Bob and her feelings for Dallas, she has questionable choice in men.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder: Bob Sheldon]]
150	A popular Soc and Cherry Valance's boyfriend. He attacks Ponyboy and Johnny, [[spoiler:which causes Johnny to kill him in self-defense.]] Played by Creator/LeifGarrett in the film.
151	----
152	* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Apparently it's only when he is drunk that he does so much bad stuff.
153	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Johnny only kills him in order to save Ponyboy's life; Bob was trying to drown him.]]
154	* BigBad: The closest thing the book has to one since he's the Soc who bullies Pony and Johnny the most. [[spoiler:After he dies about one-quarter of the way in, he becomes a posthumous BigBad]].
155	* HiddenDepths: According to Cherry, who says that he could be sweet sometimes. Randy also liked him for some reason.
156	* {{Jerkass}}: He's the epitome of what the greasers hate about the Socs. He's an [[SpoiledBrat overprivileged]] [[TheBully bully]] who went as far as to trying to drown Ponyboy when he's drunk.
157	* PowerFist: Bob wears three heavy rings on his hand for punching, and hit Johnny hard enough to give him a scar before the story started.
158	* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath: Gets killed by Johnny after he tries to drown Ponyboy in the park's fountain.]]
159	* SpoiledBrat: [[spoiler:Randy even laments that he'd probably still be alive if his parents had disciplined him once in a while.]]
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder: Randy Adderson]]
163	Bob's best friend, and one of the boys from the group of Socs that jumped Johnny [[spoiler:on the night that Bob was killed.]] He refused to participate in the rumble. Played by Darren Dalton in the film.
164	----
165	* DirtyCoward: A possible interpretation.
166	* HeelFaceTurn: The day before the rumble, Randy seeks out Ponyboy to tell him that he (Randy) will not be participating. Not only that, but he practically pours his heart out to the younger boy, admitting that the Soc-Greaser feud is nothing but an exercise in futility and that he's so sick of all the fighting that he's ready to leave town.
167	* HiddenDepths: He's not just some jerkass with nothing to do but jump Greasers.
168	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Possibly...? If any of the Socs reach this level, it's him (aside from Marcia and Cherry). He didn't stop David from almost drowning Ponyboy, but [[spoiler: Bob's murder]] definitely triggers something inside of him.
169	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He decides to leave town and get a fresh start rather than participate in the rumble.
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder: Paul Holden]]
173	A friend of Darry's while he was in high school. They were both on the football team, but he was able to go to college when Darry wasn't, and they now hate each other. Darry was able to release his jealousy on him during the rumble.
174	----
175	* EvilFormerFriend: This is implied, as he and Darry [[WeUsedToBeFriends used to be friends]], but after years without seeing each other, they end up facing off at the rumble instead of making up.
176	* InformedAbility: The whole reputation of Paul playing on the same football team with Darry implies that he is just as tough as Darry. [[spoiler: Yet Darry lays him out in the first few punches before he runs away.]]
177	* JerkJock: Played football with Darry and is one of the Socs.
178	* WeUsedToBeFriends: He used to be friends with Darry but both grew distant towards each other over the years to the point where they take each other on at the rumble.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder: Marcia]]
182	Cherry's best friend and Randy's (possibly former) girlfriend. She was with Cherry at the movie theater when they met Pony and Johnny.
183	----
184	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She only appears once in the beginning of the book before disappearing. She does, however, reappear in the short-lived TV series.
185	* DeadpanSnarker: She's got a very sharp wit, as shown when she and Two-Bit are joking around. Ponyboy notes they bounce off each other well.

Context Characters / TheOutsiders