Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest member of the greasers, narrates the novel. Ponyboy theorizes on the motivations and personalities of his friends and describes events in a slangy, youthful voice. Though only fourteen years old, he understands the way his social group functions and the role each group member plays. He sees that Two-Bit is the …
Sodapop, sometimes called “Soda,” is the middle of the three Curtis brothers. He is energetic, disinterested in school, and movie-star handsome. Ponyboy describes his idolization of Sodapop from the very beginning, and says his brother “gets drunk on just plain living,” a quality he deeply admires. In contrast to his distant and tense relationship with …
Darry is the oldest of the Curtis brothers, becoming the father figure to Ponyboy and Sodapop after their parents die in a car accident. Darry gives up the possibility of going to college and playing football so that he can take a job as a menial laborer and provide for their family. Despite his hard-working …