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

The Outsiders Published The Outsiders in 1967 at the age of 17 (Began writing it at 15). The Outsiders is widely considered the first realistic young-adult novel. Other Hinton books include Rumble Fish, Tex, and That Was Then, This is Now. The movie was released in 1983

Coming-of-age story A coming-of-age story or novel is memorable because the character undergoes adventures and/or inner turmoil in his/her growth and development as a human being. Some characters come to grips with the reality of cruelty in the world--with war, violence, death, racism, and hatred--while others deal with family, friends, or community issues.

Where and When? 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. 1963

Who? Greasers Rebellious, working class youth Often part of a street gang Greased back hair, jeans, leather jacket, t-shirt with rolled up sleeves Known as “hoods” From the wrong side of town

Greaser Style James Dean embodied the cultivated Greaser image. Leather jacket, jeans, white t-shirt and boots

Socs Rich kids from the right side of town Thought they were better than everyone else Picked fights with the greasers Drove nice cars and wore madras Madras Shirts

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

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.

The American Dream Happiness for the characters of The Outsiders was a girl, a car, some money, a strong group of friends, and probably an ice-cold bottle of soda. How much has changed?

Greasers Revival

Slang What are some of the slang words you use now? Try to guess what these words mean. Fuzz Tough vs. Tuff Dig

Slang Heater Cancer Stick Broad Hood Rumble The Cooler