2. The Outsiders Intro The Outsiders is set in a large, unnamed Oklahoma town in the United States. It is about a gang of teenage boys who are called the Greasers. They live on the east side of the town, also known as the wrong side of town; the eastside neighbourhood is described in graphic detail. The story is set in the 1960’s and relates the incidents that take place over a few days.

3. Background The Outsiders was published in 1967, a restless time in the United States when teenagers were outspoken and rebellious. They hated the Vietnam War and the establishment that caused it to continue. They resented the fact that young people from minorities and underprivileged backgrounds were not given opportunities to succeed. To voice their dissatisfaction, they had sit-ins and protests; many became hippies, and others turned to drugs. It was this society that formed the background for Hinton’s first novel.

4. The author was only sixteen years old at the time of its publication. As a result of her being a teenager herself, she was able to realistically understand and depict the plight of the underprivileged youth, Pony Curtis, as he battled to survive in a world of gang fights and dysfunctional family. She truly knew the desperate need of her youthful characters to be accepted by young and old alike. S.E. Hinton

5. The language that Hinton uses in her novels is very typical of teenagers of the time. The dialogue is filled with street slang, adding to the realism of the characters. Hinton admits that she is a character writer. The young people that she brings to life in her fiction are much more important to her than the plot. She says that even though her teenagers are always fictional, “I always know my characters, exactly what they look like, their birthdays, what they like for breakfast... [they] are as real to me as anyone else in my life, so much so that if I ran into one of them at the laundry, I wouldn’t be all that surprised.” About the Dialogue/Language

6. The Greasers Ponyboy Curtis Darrell Curtis Sodapop Curtis Two-Bit Matthews Dallas Winston Johnny Cade The Socs Randy Adderson Bob Sheldon Paul Holden