Differences between The Outsiders novel and Musical

 Hello Everyone, 

Now comes the promised analysis on the differences between the novel The Outsiders and the musical. This is not meant to discredit the musical, I am a big fan. I just think it's fun to see what is different. 

Dally's Death: This was a very necessary change. so I do not have much to say about it. In the novel, Dally dies after he takes an unloaded gun to perform a robbery. The fact that the gun is unloaded is known only to the other Greasers, who were watching. After being caught by the police, he points the gun at the police, and the police kill him, thinking it was a threat. In the musical, Dally steps in front of a train. I think the change was obvious to be able to put on this show in our time. 

Gone With The Wind: In the book, while hiding in the church after the murder of Bob, Ponyboy and Johnny read a copy of Gone with the Wind. Johnny was impressed with the the characters charm and manners, comparing them to Soda and Dally. I did not really mind this change. They changed the scene where Ponyboy receives the letter inside the book, to being inside Johnny's jean pocket. 

Ponyboy's Guilt: This is not necessarily a change, but something I noticed. I could be wrong, but in the book, I hardly member Ponyboy's guilt being a major theme. He shares a story about his parent's death, clearly feeling as if it was his fault. Then in the church, the theme is brought up again. Ponyboy clearly feels extremely guilty about Bob's death, even if he was not the one who killed him. Later the feeling is touched on again, after Johnny's death. Ponyboy remarks that if he had not run into the fire, Johnny might still be alive. I could be remembering the book incorrectly, or just did not notice it, but I like this theme a lot. It also provided a very touching moment between Cherry and Pony. 

Darry's Name: In the entirety of the musical, they only ever refer to him as Daryl. In the book, he is mostly referred to as Darry. My suspicion about this is it's for clarity. I can imagine that to someone not familiar with the story, the names Darry and Dally can get confusing. It still seems a bit unnecessary, but not enough to complain about

Thank you for reading! I have another post talking about my whole experience seeing the show. Did anyone else see the show and notice any more differences?

Makayla