The world of The Outsiders 1960s America The world of The Outsiders

General Setting The Outsiders presumably takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where S.E. Hinton grew up. We mostly see the east side of the city, from the perspective of the Greasers.

Fashion Madras Hair Grease During the time period of the novel, Soc “types” would wear madras shirts and khakis. You can see an example of typical clothing below. Madras James Dean embodied the cultivated Greaser image. Leather jacket, jeans, white t-shirt and boots were typical of boys who emulated the free and uncontrolled lifestyle Dean seemed to live. Hair Grease

Music and Film Here are some images of popular artists and movies. The Beatles Elvis Presley Beach movies Paul Newman The Beach Boys

Drive-ins Watching movies at the drive-in theatre was a popular thing to do, especially for teenagers. The car culture was a big part of society. You’ll notice that cars are often mentioned in the novel.

Cars Here are two cars and a gas station that are mentioned in the novel. Chevy Corvair 1965 Ford Mustang DX Gas Station

Drive-in Restaurants These restaurants were a typical place to take a date. They were also where gangs hung out.

What makes you happy? Happiness for the characters of The Outsiders was a girl, a car, some money, and a strong group of friends.

Pay attention to opposites Rich and poor East and west Hot and cold words Blue and red Fire and water

Pay attention to seasons Spring: new life/hope Summer: youth/happy Fall: descent into winter/things about to go wrong/nearing the end. Winter: End of life/bad.

Pay attention to allusions Whenever an author chooses to include the title of another work of literature in his own work, consider his reasons for doing so. Example: in Frankenstein, the monster read Paradise Lost by John Milton.

Pay attention to colors Green: naive Grey: wise Red: hot Blue: cold White: negativity/fear/innocence Yellow: cowardice

GOLD = perfection

SLANG Heater: Gun Cooler: Jail JD: Juvenile Delinquent Hood: Thug Tuff: good, cool, awesome Beer blast: party with alcohol

QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT Who has it easier? What makes a family a family? What makes a parent a parent? Which situation is worst? --Parents who don’t care what you do. --Parents who are abusive --Parents who are gone

Greasers Ponyboy Curtis Sodapop Curtis Darry Curtis Dally Winston Steve Randle Two-Bit (Keith) Mathews Johnny Cade

Socs Bob Sheldon Randy Adderson David Cherry Valance Marcia