1. The Outsiders Terms to Know
Since The Outsiders is set in 1960's Oklahoma, there are many terms that you will not understand.
This power point should help you become familiar with the regional and cultural terms from the novel.

2. Greasers and Socs
These are the two rival gangs in The Outsiders. The Greasers were typically from the poor side of town. They wore their hair long and greased back. The Socs, on the other hand, were from the well-to-do side of town. They drove nice cars and wore nice clothes.

3. Hobbies from The Outsiders
The drive-in theater was a popular place to hang out in the 1960's. At the drive-in, most people sat in their cars to watch the movie. The price for a movie at the drive-in was determined by how many people were in your car, so many people would sneak in by hiding in the trunk of a car.

4. Hobbies from The Outsiders
Many of the Greasers were interested in the rodeo—including bull riding, barrel racing, and riding saddle bronc.

5. Cars of the 1960's
Since the Socs were from the rich side of town, they drove the most expensive cars of the 1960's. Some of the cars that the Socs drove were the Mustang, the Corvette, the Corvair, and the Sting Ray.

6. The Fuzz
The Greasers referred to the police as “the fuzz”. The police were considered enemies of the Greasers because the Greasers were considered juvenile delinquents (JD's).

7. Great Expectations
In Chapter 1 of The Outsiders, the main character Ponyboy mentions that he feels similar to the main character Pip in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Like Pip, Ponyboy is from the poor side of town, and he feels like people look down on him.

8. Gone with the Wind
Johnny, a Greaser in The Outsiders, wants to be like the gallant Southern gentlemen in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. He admires them for their bravery.
Gone with the Wind tells the story of a Southern family before, during, and after the Civil War.

9. Fashion of the Socs
The Socs, the rivals of the Greasers, were the gang from the rich side of town. They wore madras shirts and jackets. They also were said to wear their hair similar to the Beatles (pictures to follow).

10. Elvis Presley and The Beatles
In The Outsiders, the Greasers enjoyed the music of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, while the Socs favored the music of the British invasion group,
The Beatles.

11. Paul Newman
In Chapter 1 of The Outsiders, Ponyboy says that he wished he looked like Paul Newman, a famous movie actor of the 1960's. He starred in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Newman was also the founder of Newman's Own food company, and he played the voice of Doc Hudson in Disney's Cars. Paul Newman died in September 2008 at the age of 83.

12. Hank Williams
Hank Williams was a famous country singer in the late 1940's-early 1950's.
His son is Hank Williams Jr., famous for the Monday Night Football theme song.
He was known for strumming the following songs on his guitar:
Your Cheatin' Heart
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)‏
Hey Good Lookin'

13. Will Rogers
In Chapter 1 of The Outsiders, Ponyboy describes fellow Greaser Two-Bit Matthews as looking like Will Rogers. Rogers was a comedian, actor, and cowboy in the early decades of the 1900's.

14. 1960's Regional and Cultural Terms to Know
These are just some of the terms to become familiar with as you are reading The Outsiders.
Just remember—1960's Oklahoma is definitely different from 2000's Texas!