Dates

[ash]

There's something that's real confusing to me . Would it be right to say that The Outsiders began sometime in June or something? Because this paper from the movie caught me off guard saying it was Tuesday, May 10, 1966. Am I crazy or just slow?

[murderofcrows]

school was in session...it was in the fall, i think, because it was beginning to get cold...at least, that's how i interpret the book, i'm not sure how the movie made it out to be...maybe we should ask susie lol

[ash]

We should because I'm confused.

[Keira]

How weird! I never noticed that before. It was definitely in the fall, because it was just a couple of weeks before Soda's 17th birthday at one point, and his birthday is Oct. 8th, and Ponyboy had been 14 for a month, and his birthday is the same as Susie's (July 22nd).

Unless I'm completely off, I believe the book spans most of September.

I'm also thinking that they had year round school back then, and so he had already been in school for a while, considering towards the end of the book he was writing a semester paper, and it wasn't described as being bitterly cold that night that Soda "ran off". Maybe the school works on a trimester, though? Hmmm...

[ash]

I've read Mars On Fire's stories and Artemis Rex's and I usually followed the calander for their stories. I don't know why the movie buisness likes to mix up details when it comes to book to movie productions.

[murderofcrows]

that's why it's always best to just go back to the source for stuff like this and ignore the movie lol

[ash]

True.

[murderofcrows]

the book itself doesn't span a very long time...most of it is just describing the events of a few key days, like the nightly double and the stabbing and running away, the church burning and the rumble, etc...

[Tensleep]

Ah, those crazy movie people, who also cut out the whole beginning of the book. Can you really trust them?

Now, here's one that's really going to screw with you - When exactly did their parents die?

I always write it in late April since it fits with my time-lines and doesn't give Darry much time to adjust before the September events. But I've heard some say it was before Darry turned twenty, even some who say that it was nearly a year before the book's events. If there was a set date in Ms. Hinton's mind, I've never come across it.