Tex (novel)
Encyclopedia
Tex is a novel by S. E. Hinton
, published in 1979
. It was adapted to the film
in 1982, which starred Matt Dillon
. The book (like Rumble Fish
and That Was Then, This Is Now
) takes place in the same universe
as Hinton's first book The Outsiders
, but in a rural
town called Garyville, Oklahoma
, a fictional suburb of Tulsa
.
Tex and his older brother Mason live by themselves while their father tours the rodeo
circuit. Tex is blissfully happy with his life. He likes the simple things and taking it easy. Mason on the other hand must step into a parental role when their father is gone for five months touring rodeos. Their mother is dead, so it's just the two of them fighting to make ends meet. These boys' lives are slowly being turned upside down.
But the brothers McCormack aren't alone. Living in the significantly larger ranch house next door (about a half a mile) are the Collins's, the family includes Mason's best friend Bob, Tex's best friend Johnny and the younger sister who Tex loves, Jamie. The Collins's however are forbidden to see Mace and Tex because the patriarch of the Collins family, Cole thinks they are a bad influence.
After a turn of events involving Tex and Mason's father, Tex runs away to the city with a family friend and eventually learns that just living life and staying with his brother is the best thing for him. "
Mason McCormick, a seventeen year-old boy, Pop's only biological child. He loves to fish, play basketball, and serves as a father figure to Tex. Mason is tall, fit and has black hair and brown eyes with a strong bone structure. Tex says he looks like "a proud hawk." (p. 86)
Jamie Collins, Johnny's younger sister. She has almost black hair and f reputation for being a mean person, hardly ever going a week without getting grounded or spanked. She uses threats to get her way and is sarcastic when she speaks to people. She is also controlling but flirty and believes passionately in women's rights.
Johnny Collins, Tex's best friend. They get in trouble a lot. The Collins are a rich family, unlike Tex and Mason. Johnny has a cycle, which can get them in trouble (for attempting to jump over the ditch) but yet help them at times (transportation to school instead of taking the bus).
Cole Collins, Father of Blackie, Charlie, Robert (Bob), Johnny, and Jamie Collins; married to Mona Collins. Has his kids call him and Mona by their first names, which is something that Tex finds strange. He is the epitome of a strict and controlling father, one that isn't afraid to spank his kids. When Johnny and Tex get drunk at Charlie's party, he goes to where the McCormick's live and blames Tex for getting Johnny drunk. After they get in trouble at school for gluing caps on the typewriter keys, Mason and Cole have an argument, and Mason ends up winning Cole's respect for him.
S. E. Hinton
Susan Eloise Hinton is an American author best known for her young adult novel The Outsiders.While still in her teens, Hinton became a household name as the author of The Outsiders, her first and most popular novel, set in Oklahoma in the 1960s. She began writing it in 1965...
, published in 1979
1979 in literature
The year 1979 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*V.C...
. It was adapted to the film
Tex (film)
Tex is a 1982 American drama film released by Buena Vista Distribution Company and directed by Tim Hunter based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. Tex is about the life of two brothers after their mother dies, and their father walks out on them...
in 1982, which starred Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
. The book (like Rumble Fish
Rumble Fish (novel)
Rumble Fish is a 1975 novel for young adults by S. E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders. It was adapted to film and directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1983.-Plot:...
and That Was Then, This Is Now
That Was Then, This Is Now
That Was Then, This Is Now is a coming-of-age young adult novel by S. E. Hinton. It follows the relationship between two brothers who find their relationship rapidly changing. It was later made into a film starring Emilio Estevez.- Plot :...
) takes place in the same universe
Continuity within S.E. Hinton Novels
The young adult novels of bestselling author S.E. Hinton -- The Outsiders , That Was Then, This Is Now , Rumble Fish , Tex and Taming the Star Runner -- all contain a number of common threads in locations, characters and themes...
as Hinton's first book The Outsiders
The Outsiders (novel)
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel based in 1965 by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel, but did most of the work when she was sixteen and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published...
, but in a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
town called Garyville, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, a fictional suburb of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
Tex and his older brother Mason live by themselves while their father tours the rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
circuit. Tex is blissfully happy with his life. He likes the simple things and taking it easy. Mason on the other hand must step into a parental role when their father is gone for five months touring rodeos. Their mother is dead, so it's just the two of them fighting to make ends meet. These boys' lives are slowly being turned upside down.
Plot
The book opens with Tex McCormack who is a happy go lucky fourteen year old who loves horses, his brother Mace, living in a small town and Jamie the girl next door. Tex is growing up mostly with Mace in a small country home. Their mother died years before and their father goes off for months at a time leaving Mace, a senior and a star basketball player and Tex at home. At the start of the book Tex comes home to find the two brothers horses sold. Negrito, Tex's horse, was always more of a human friend to Tex, so he is sad. However Mason had to sell the horses to guarantee Tex and himself would have enough to eat over the winter. This action by Mason, sets Tex against his brother most of the book.But the brothers McCormack aren't alone. Living in the significantly larger ranch house next door (about a half a mile) are the Collins's, the family includes Mason's best friend Bob, Tex's best friend Johnny and the younger sister who Tex loves, Jamie. The Collins's however are forbidden to see Mace and Tex because the patriarch of the Collins family, Cole thinks they are a bad influence.
After a turn of events involving Tex and Mason's father, Tex runs away to the city with a family friend and eventually learns that just living life and staying with his brother is the best thing for him. "
Characters
Tex McCormick, a fourteen year-old boy. He has long golden brown hair that is the same color as his eyes and a scar over his right eyebrow from where Mason hit him. Tex has a chipped tooth and a bony face with dimples. He loves horses, especially his horse Negrito. His best friend is Johnny Collins. His 17 year old brother is Mason.Mason McCormick, a seventeen year-old boy, Pop's only biological child. He loves to fish, play basketball, and serves as a father figure to Tex. Mason is tall, fit and has black hair and brown eyes with a strong bone structure. Tex says he looks like "a proud hawk." (p. 86)
Jamie Collins, Johnny's younger sister. She has almost black hair and f reputation for being a mean person, hardly ever going a week without getting grounded or spanked. She uses threats to get her way and is sarcastic when she speaks to people. She is also controlling but flirty and believes passionately in women's rights.
Johnny Collins, Tex's best friend. They get in trouble a lot. The Collins are a rich family, unlike Tex and Mason. Johnny has a cycle, which can get them in trouble (for attempting to jump over the ditch) but yet help them at times (transportation to school instead of taking the bus).
Cole Collins, Father of Blackie, Charlie, Robert (Bob), Johnny, and Jamie Collins; married to Mona Collins. Has his kids call him and Mona by their first names, which is something that Tex finds strange. He is the epitome of a strict and controlling father, one that isn't afraid to spank his kids. When Johnny and Tex get drunk at Charlie's party, he goes to where the McCormick's live and blames Tex for getting Johnny drunk. After they get in trouble at school for gluing caps on the typewriter keys, Mason and Cole have an argument, and Mason ends up winning Cole's respect for him.