The OutsidersbyS. E. HintonMajor ThemeSocial Injustice The OutsidersbyS. E. HintonMajor ThemeSocial Injustice

By the time she was 17 years old, Susan Eloise Hinton was a published author. While still in high school in her hometown--Tulsa, Oklahoma--Hinton put in words what she saw and felt growing up and called it The Outsiders, a now classic story of two sets of high school rivals, the Greasers and the Socs (for society kids). Because her hero was a Greaser and outsider, and her tale was one of gritty realism, Hinton launched a revolution in young adult literature.

Since her narrator was a boy, Hinton's publishers suggested that she publish under the name of S. E. Hinton; they feared their readers wouldn't respect a "macho" story written by a woman. Hinton says today, "I don't mind having two identities; in fact, I like keeping the writer part separate in some ways. And since my alter ego is clearly a 15-year-old boy, having an authorial self that doesn't suggest a gender is just fine with me."

Today, more than twenty-five years after its first publication, The Outsiders ranks as a classic, still widely read and one of the most important and taboo-breaking books in the field. Finally, someone was writing about the real concerns and emotions of a teenager. The Outsiders marked the beginning of a new kind of realism in books written for the young adult market, and Hinton's next four books followed suit.

Greasers Greasers  Poor  Wrong side of the town  No cars / walking  Leather jackets, t-shirts, greasy hair t-shirts, greasy hair  Country music Socs Socs  Rich  Right side of town  Sports cars  Madres shirts, plaid pants, sweater vests  Beatles

The Outsiders is not just a story about gangs and fights. It is a book about the people behind the images.

The central problem in a plot. Man against Man Man against Nature Man against Himself Man against Society

 One choice leads to another.

Major Theme Social Injustice

 Do the people we hang around with affect us positively or negatively?  What about the idiom, “When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas?”  Do you agree or disagree?

Is it a group thing or Is it an individual thing?

 Abuse  Neglect  Rich vs. Poor  Gangs  Fighting Does fighting ever solve a problem? Is there ever really a victor?

 Does having money solve problems?  Does it guarantee success?  Does it make one a better student?  Can coming from a disadvantaged background make one a poor student?  Does money guarantee happiness?

 Predictions  Predict what the story might be about just by hearing the title?  Predict what the story might be about by looking at the cover illustration?

Choose one of the following and write a minimum of a paragraph…. 1. What types of people are considered “outsiders” in our society? What keeps these people on the outside? 2. Write about a time you felt like an “outsider.” Explain the situation and how you felt.