Pickett and Sutton

Pickett and Sutton is the intersection in the East Side neighborhood where the greaser gang habitually assembles. It is the corner where Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade, and Dallas Winston meet before heading to the Nightly Double drive-in movie, an event that sets the novel's central plot in motion. The corner is also where the gang gathers after Ponyboy is jumped by the Socs, and where they later reunite after the church fire rescue. The location is a fixed point of reference for the greasers, a place where they can find each other and where their shared identity is reinforced. It is a site of both routine and crisis, a place where the gang's solidarity is tested and affirmed. The corner of Pickett and Sutton is a symbol of the greasers' territory and their collective life, a place where they are most themselves, away from the judgment of the Socs and the adult world.