Author

• S.E.Hinton • S.E. stands for Susan Eloise

• Hinton’s publishers worried her work would not be respected coming from a woman, since it dealt with male characters and violent conflictsEarly pictures

of Hinton

• S.E.Hinton • Created the gender-neutral author name

• She began The Outsides at the age of fifteen

Background Information

• Background of The Outsiders– Date of Publication

– Inspiration

– Major Conflict

• 1967

• Hinton was frustrated with social divisions within her high school and a lack of realistic fiction for high school students

• The greasers, a group of low-class youths, battle the Socs, a group of privileged rich kids, who live on the West Side

• Background, Con’t • The Outsiders features many references to the 1960s: Elvis, Beatles, etc.

• Examined universal urges to form cliques, compete and unite with similar groups

• The Greasers are tough and rough, but also vulnerability and full of emotion

A poster from the hit film

Literary Focus

Literary Focus

– Point of View

– Narrator and Protagonist

– Antagonist

• First Person

• Ponyboy

• Social Groups

• Literary Focus– Genre

– Setting (TIME)

– Setting (PLACE)

– Tone

• Adult Fiction

• Mid-1960s

• Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Youthful, rebellious, simplistic, melodramatic

• Literary Focus, CON’T– Themes

• Rich vs. Poor• Class Differences• Transcending Social

Divisions• Man’s Struggles and

Fears• Honor and Loyalty• Man’s Ability to

Sacrifice • Male-Female

Interactions• Male Bonding

Although they present a tough exterior, the greasers feel emotion and show a great deal of love for their “gang” brothers

• Symbols– Cars

• Cars represent the Socs’ power and the greasers’ vulnerability

• Socs’ are physically vulnerable and must work on the cars of the rich, wealthy Socs

The greasers work on the nice cars; the socs drive them

• Symbols– Greaser Hair

• Rebellion against society

• Cannot afford physical items to make them stand out (ie cars), must use their hair to stand out

• Most men in society during the 1960s wore their hair short

A few famous people have sported the greaser look

Overview

• PLOT OVERVIEW • Ponyboy Curtis is part of a lower-class gang called the greasers. They are at odds with a group of rich kids called the Socs

• The greasers become involved with some of the Socs’ girls and this elevates tensions between the groups

• PLOT OVERVIEW, CON’T

• Ponyboy is nearly killed by a Soc and his fellow greaser, Johnny saves his life

• Johnny, however must kill a soc in the process

• OVERVIEW, CON’T • A rumble is organized to settle the differences between the two groups

• In the process other characters die, sometimes needlessly, and sometimes heroically

• The novel ends with Ponyboy writing about his fallen friends for English class, which ends up being the novel itself (he is the narrator)

A cycle of violence continues throughout the novel

Characters

• Characters – Ponyboy Curtis

• Narrator and protagonist

• Different from the rest of the greasers: has interests literature and school

• Reliable and observant

• Rocky home life and relationship with older brother, Darry

• Darrell “Darry” Curtis • Ponyboy’s oldest brother

• Raised his brothers after the death of their parents in a car crash

• Works two jobs• Strong, athletic and

intelligent• Nicknamed

“Superman”

• Dallas “Dally” Winston

• Tim Shepard

• The toughest hood in Ponboy’s group

• A hardened teen who used to run gangs in New York

• Does not put grease in his hair.

• Leader of another group of greasers

• Sodapop Curtis

• Cherry and Marcia

• Happy and attractive older brother of Ponyboy

• Soc girls who become interested in the greasers

• Randy Adderson

• Johnny Cade

• Soc who eventually see the pointlessness of fighting the greasers

• If the most redeeming soc character

• Parent are abusive and drunks

• Nervous and sensitive• Greasers are his

family more than his parents

• Two-Bit Mathews • The joker of Ponyboy’s group

• Steve Randle

• Sodapop’s best friend• Talent of stealing hub

caps• Cocky, aware and

smart

This guy might look a little familiar