The Outsiders by S.E.

Hinton

Background Information
 First Impressions
We often judge people based on our first impressions of their
physical appearance. Verbalize your first impressions of the
people in the images below.

Compare these two

images when you
make your
impressions.
The Author

Susan Eloise Hinton

 S.E. Hinton
Hinton was born in Tulsa in 1948.

As a young child, she was an avid reader and would

spend her time writing her own stories.

She wanted to
create stories
about the truth
of teenagers (no
sugar coating).
 S.E. Hinton
Hinton wrote The Outsiders while she was in high school. During
her high school graduation ceremony, she was offered a
publication contract for the novel. She published the novel under
the name S.E. Hinton (instead of Susan Eloise) because the
publishers didn’t think boys would want to read a ‘tough’ novel
by a female.

Pu
bl
i ca
Di

De n tio
pl

al
om
a
 S.E. Hinton
After the success of The Outsiders, she attended the University Of
Tulsa where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education.

In college, she met David Inhofe (her future husband). He was a major
influence in her writing her second novel, That Was Then, This Is Now.
 S.E. Hinton
Susan married David and they had one son, Nicholas David.

She wrote a few more books (Tex, Rumble Fish, Taming The Star
Runner). In the 1990’s, she focused mainly on children’s picture
books.
 The Story
They walked out slowly, silently, smiling.

"Need a haircut, greaser?" The medium-sized blond pulled a

knife out of his back pocket and flipped the blade open.

I finally thought of something to say. "No.“ I was backing up,

away from that knife. Of course I backed right into one of
them. They had me down in a second. I fought to get loose,
and almost did for a second; then they tightened up on me and
slugged me a couple of times. So I lay still, swearing at them
between gasps. A blade was held against my throat.

"How'd you like that haircut to begin just below the chin?"
 The Characters
-- According to the main character, Ponyboy, there
are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and
socs.

-- A soc (short for "social") has money, is very

popular, and has things handed to them.

-- A greaser, on the other hand, works hard, is an

outsider and needs to fight for a living.

-- The greasers and socs stick to their own groups.

They get into fights when one group crosses into the
other group’s turf.
The Setting -- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Population of New York City:
19 million

Population of Los Angeles:

15 million

Population of Tulsa:
300,000
 The Outsiders
The Outsiders was inspired by real-life events at Hinton’s high
school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This novel is widely considered the first realistic young-adult

novel.

Hinton’s High School

(Will Rogers High)
 Historical Context
The book reflects the social division Americans experienced
during the 1960s. Young people were attempting to find their
voices and express their political opinions. Race relations
were changing dramatically as the Civil Rights Movement
drew attention to discrimination against African Americans.
Though Hinton does not refer directly to any historical or
political events in her work, the novel seeks to elevate public
awareness of marginalized groups and to validate the
voices and experiences of young people.
 1960’s Terminology
Below are some words you may encounter in the novel The Outsiders
that were popular in the 1960’s
Fuzz = Police Heater = Gun

Broad = Woman
Hacked Off = Angry
 1960’s Terminology
Below are some words you may encounter in the novel The
Outsiders that we rarely use today:
JD = Juvenile Delinquent The Cooler = Jail

Rumble = Fight
Pickled = Drunk
 The Setting -- The Sixties’ Politics:
Martin Luther King, Jr., JFK, Vietnam War

Tension existed between races and between social classes.

 The Sixties Music and Television

The Beatles

Elvis

Rock music grew in popularity -- Elvis was more popular among the
greasers and The Beatles were more popular among the soc’s.
 The Setting – The Sixties
Clothes and Hair Styles

Jackie Kennedy, Paul Newman and James Dean

portray styles popular with soc’s and greasers.
The Setting -- The Sixties Cars

Muscle Cars: Corvair, Corvette, Mustang

Popular among soc’s and greasers
 Credits:
Fanpop. Fanpop, Inc., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://www.fanpop.com/>.

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group Inc., 1995.

Hoffman, Carl. The 60's Official Site. N.p., 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
<http://the60sofficialsite.com>.

"S. E. Hinton - About S. E. Hinton." Penguin.com. Penguin Putnam Books for Young

Readers, 2000. Web. 31 Oct. 1964.
<http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000015109,00.html>
.

"S. E. Hinton" Tumblr. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/s.-e.-hinton>.

"Tulsa Maps and Orientation: Tulsa, Oklahoma - OK, USA." Tulsa Maps and
Orientation: Tulsa, Oklahoma - OK, USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.tulsa.world-guides.com/tulsa_maps.html>.