The Outsiders
by S. E. Hinton
Mrs. Cole
OMMS
About the Author
• Susan Eloise Hinton was
born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• She has always enjoyed reading
but wasn't satisfied with the
literature that was being written for
young adults, which influenced her
to write novels like The Outsiders.
About the Author
• That book, her first novel, was
published in 1967 by Viking. Hinton
was only 17 years old.
• 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 (pen name) that
doesn't suggest a gender is just fine
with me."
• Once published, The Outsiders
gave her a lot of publicity and
fame, and also a lot of pressure.
S.E. Hinton was becoming known
as "The Voice of the Youth" among
other titles. This kind of pressure
and publicity resulted in a 3 year
long writer's block.
• Her boyfriend (and now, her
husband),who had gotten sick of her
being depressed all the time,
eventually broke this block. He made
her write 2 pages a day if she wanted
to go anywhere. This eventually led
to publication of That Was Then,
This Is Now
in 1971.
• Hinton’s books include:
The Outsiders
That was Then, This is Now
Rumble Fish
Tex
Taming The Star Runner
The Outsiders
• Setting: Tulsa, Oklahoma during
the 1960s
• Point of View:
1st person narrative
from Ponyboy’s
perspective
Cast of Characters
The Greasers vs. The Socs
Greasers
• Ponyboy Curtis – 14 yr. old
protagonist & narrator
• Darrell Curtis – a.k.a. “Darry;”
Ponyboy’s oldest brother
• Sodapop Curtis – the middle Curtis
boy; has good looks & charm
Greasers
• Two-Bit Matthews – (Keith) joker
of the group
• Steve Randle – Soda’s best friend
• Dally Winston – the toughest
“hood” in the group
• Johnny Cade – 16 yrs. old; the
heart of the Greasers
Socs
• Cherry Valance – Bob’s girlfriend; a
cheerleader Ponyboy meets at the
movies
• Marcia – Cherry’s friend & Randy’s
girlfriend
• Randy Adderson – Marcia’s
boyfriend and Bob’s best friend
• Bob Sheldon – Cherry’s boyfriend;
beats up Johnny b/f book begins
Supporting Characters
• Tim Shepard– leader of another band
of greasers
• Curly Shepard – Tim’s brother
• Jerry Wood – Adult who helps (in a
way) Ponyboy & Johnny
• Paul Holden – Soc who was Darry’s
friend and teammate in high school
• Mr. Syme – Ponyboy’s English
Teacher
Themes, Motifs, & Symbols
Themes
• Bridging the Gap Between Rich and
Poor
• Honor Among the Lawless
• The Importance of Friendship
• Appearance vs. Reality
Remember, themes are the fundamental
and often universal ideas explored in a
literary work.
Themes, Motifs, & Symbols
Motifs: recurring structures, contrasts, or
literary devices that can help to
develop and inform the text’s major
themes.
Motifs in The Outsiders:
• Literature
• Eye Shape & Color
• Ponyboy’s Losses of Consciousness
Themes, Motifs, & Symbols
Symbols:
• Two-Bit’s
Switchblade
• Cars
• Bob’s Rings
• Greaser Hair
•
Symbols are
objects,
characters,
figures, or colors
used to represent
abstract ideas or
concepts.