S. E. HINTONTHE OUTSIDERS

• Susan Hinton was born in the 1950s in Oklahoma.• She started writing The Outsiders when she was only 15.• The book was published in 1967 and gained much praise.• It was published under her initials S.E. rather than Susan

Eloise as the publishers didn’t think the book would sell as well if people knew she was a female.

CONTEXT

• The story is set in the 1960s in the Midwest of the USA.• It details the rivalry between two gangs: the Socs and

the Greasers.• The Socs represent the upper class wealthy kids and the

Greasers are the kids from ‘the wrong side of the tracks.’• It centres around one particular Greaser, Ponyboy Curtis,

who lives with his two brothers, Darryl and Sodapop. Their parents died in a car crash and the older brothers had to leave school so they could work to support the family.

• The rivalry between the gangs leads to violence and murder and the key characters are forced to make decisions that change their lives.

STORYLINE

• Class conflict: especially the idea that the rich always win (even when they lose).

• Loyalty to friends and family (at all costs).• Love between friends and family.• Living in a violent world and the impact that has on individual

development.• Education: in terms of personal growth but also the inequality in

educational opportunities.• Choices: those we make and how they impact on the rest of our

lives.

“Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs.”

THEMES

1. Choose one of the themes from the last slide.

2. Design a poster that visually represents that idea.

3. Email your poster to me to print and put on the wall.

YOUR TASK TODAY