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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 OutsidersThat was Then, This is NowRumble FishTexTaming The Star Runner
The Outsiders•Setting: Tulsa, Oklahoma
during the 1960s•Point of View:1st person narrativefrom Ponyboy’sperspective
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