The Outsiders

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The Outsiders S.E. Hinton
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S.E.Hinton
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• S.E.Hinton

• S.E. stands for Susan Eloise
• Hintons publishers worried that her work, which
  dealt with male characters and violent conflicts,
  would not be respected because it was written by
  a woman. Thus, she published The Outsiders using
  a pen name, her initials.

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Background Information
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• Date of Publication
• Inspiration
• Major Conflict in the novel

• 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

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• Background Continued

• The Outsiders features many references to the
  1960s Elvis, Beatles, Madras, 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. The reader
  will see both of these sides.

A poster from the hit film
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Literary Focus

• Point of View
• First Person
• Narrator and Protagonist
• Ponyboy
• Antagonist
• Social Groups the conflicts between the Greasers
  and the Socs and the results of these conflicts

• Setting (time)
• Mid 1960s
• Setting (place)
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Tone
• Youthful, rebellious, simplistic, melodramatic

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• Themes

• Class Differences
• Rich vs. Poor
• Transcending Social Divisions
• Mans Struggles and Fears
• Honor and Loyalty
• Mans Ability to Sacrifice
• Male-Female Interactions
• Male Bonding
• Untraditional family

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

• Cars represent the Socs wealth and power
  something the Greasers can only dream about

The greasers work on the nice cars the Socs
drive them
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• SymbolsGreaser Hair

• Rebellion against society
• Most men in society during the 1960s wore their
  hair short
• Cannot afford physical items to make them stand
  out (ex cars, nice clothes), must use their hair
  to stand out

A few famous people have sported the greaser look
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Brief Overview
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• According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of
  people in the world greasers and socs. A soc
  (short for "social") has money, can get away with
  just about anything, and has an attitude longer
  than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand,
  always lives on the outside and needs to watch
  his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always
  been proud of it, even willing to rumble against
  a gang of Socs for the sake of his fellow
  greasers--until one terrible night when his
  friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder causes
  Ponys world to crumble and teaches him that pain
  feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

• Authors Synopsis

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Characters
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• Ponyboy Curtis

• Narrator and protagonist
• Different from the rest of the greasers because
  he has interests literature and school
• Reliable and observant
• Rocky home life
• Has two older brothers, Soda and Darry

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• Darrell Darry Curtis

• Ponyboys oldest brother
• Raised his brothers after the death of their
  parents in a car crash
• Gave up a full athletic scholarship to work two
  jobs so the three brothers could stay together
• Strong, athletic and intelligent
• Nicknamed Superman

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• Dallas Dally Winston

• The toughest hood in Ponboys group
• A hardened teen who used to run in New York gangs
• Has been to jail multiple times

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• Sodapop Curtis
• Cherry and Marcia

• Happy and attractive older brother of Ponyboy
• Dropped out of high school
• Works at a gas station, fixes cars
• Soc girls who become interested in the greasers

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• Johnny Cade

• Parent are abusive and drunks
• Nervous and sensitive
• Was almost killed after he was jumped by the Socs
• Greasers are his family

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• The joker of Ponyboys group
• Got his name because he is always putting in his
  two bits

• Two-Bit Mathews

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• Steve Randle

• Sodapops best friend
• Talent of stealing hub caps
• Cocky, aware and smart

This guy might look a little familiar