Hinton, S.E. (1997). The Outsiders. New York: Puffin. 180 pp.

Grade Range: 6 – 9

Genre: contemporary fiction

Summary and Critique

Ponyboy, Soda, and Darry are brothers struggling to cope with the loss of both of their parents in a fatal car accident.  At the tender age of 20, Darry must work two jobs to provide for his brothers and try to keep the family together. Easy-going "Sodapop" has dropped out of high school at sixteen and is working at a gas station. Though there is tension between fourteen-year-old Ponyboy and Darry, and Pony is the hope of the family. He's an intelligent student who may have the opportunity to attend college if he can earn a scholarship—Darry's unfulfilled dream. Even though Pony's intelligence and love of books and movies somewhat sets him apart from his brothers and the rest of their gang, Pony is devoted to them all. A vicious rivalry pits their gang of "greasers" vs. the "socs" (socials)— the wealthy kids from the west side. When Pony and his friend Johnny befriend two "soc" girls at the movies, things become more complicated than ever. Tension mounts when Pony and Cherry (a popular cheerleader) are seen together; deadly violence erupts, changing their lives forever.

S.E. Hinton was only 16 years old when she wrote this novel. Critics speculate that her youthful perspective is exactly the element that gives The Outsiders its power and poignancy. Though the types of gangs have changed and the slang is different, the novel's themes are as relevant to today's teenagers as they were in 1967.

Awards

New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967
Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967
Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975
ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975
Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 1979

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

The Individual vs. Society

Author Information

Susan Eloise Hinton is a Tulsa, Oklahoma native. Her first novel, The Outsiders, was published in 1967. Additional novels by Hinton include That Was Then, This Is Now, Rumble Fish, Tex and Taming the Star Runner. Hinton is also the author of a children's book, Big David, Little David, which was published in 1995. She received the YASD/SLJ Author Achievement Award in 1983.

For more information on S.E. Hinton:

http://www.sehinton.com/ Web site offering information about S.E. Hinton (e.g. biographical facts, book and movie information)

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/hinton.htm Web site contains an interview with S.E. Hinton as well as biographical information

Media Connections

Movies

St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Six inseparable Georgetown University graduates must put college behind them and become responsible adults. And that's not an easy proposition -- especially for a frustrated young father and hopeful jazz musician and a spoiled "princess" with a secret.

Little Big Man (1970) Jack Crabb is a 121-year-old man living in a rest home sharing his life story—including the amazing tale of being the sole white survivor of the Battle of Little Bighorn. It is the story of the bloody battles resulting from American expansionism in the Old West. Crabb, raised alternately by whites and Indians, struggles to find himself amidst the two conflicting cultures.

Sixteen Candles (1984) Samantha Baker's sixteenth birthday should be perfect and memorable, but her whole family is focused on her sister's upcoming wedding, completely forgetting Samantha's big day. Thing go from bad to worse when the school geek won't leave her alone, and she believes the boy of her dreams doesn't know she's alive.

Breakfast Club (1985) When they first meet at 7 a.m., the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess, and the Weirdo, have nothing to say to each other as they face Saturday detention together in their school library. But by 4 p.m., they had bared their souls. Nothing would change with their high-school cliques after that day, but they had connected in a way that none of them would never forget.

Gangsta King: Raymond Lee Washington (2003) After the social unrest of the 1960s, several social and political clubs for young African-Americans were formed in Los Angeles. When these groups dissolved, Raymond Lee Washington founded his own group, the notorious L.A. gang the Crips, which were built on similar beliefs. The result was a wave of bloody violence as confrontations with rival gangs ensued.

Westside Story (1961) West Side Story retells the story of Romeo and Juliet, but instead of the Montagues and Capulets, it's the Sharks vs. the Jets -- rival gangs battling on the streets of 1950s New York City. When Jet Tony and Shark Maria fall in love a rumble ensues with tragic consequences.

Grease (1978) A quintessential musical about the fabulous '50s -- an energetic and exciting musical tribute to the age of rock 'n' roll!

Rumble Fish (1983) Two brothers want to break out of their urban trap. Their escape leads to death for one and a new beginning for the other. (An adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel.)

The Outsiders (1983) A drama about teen turmoil in rural Oklahoma, this faithful adaptation of S.E. Hinton's popular novel, is the story of the hard luck "Greasers" and the affluent "Socs." The conflict results in violence that will change the lives of both groups forever.

Television

The OC – any episode (family relationships, friendship)

Seventh Heaven – any episode (family relationships)

Music

"Jailhouse Rock." Lyrics by Jerry Leifer and Mike Stoller. From Elvis - 30 #1 Hits. RCA, 2002. (County jail prisoners pass their time in the cellblock playing rock ‘n'roll.)

Online Resources

http://www.teenink.com/ Teen Ink is a website, a monthly print magazine, and a book series all written by Teens for Teens . There are over 16,000 pages of student writing on this site.

http://www.gangsorus.com/parents.html An informative site for Teens , parents and teachers concerned with gangs.

http://www.teencentral.net/ Teen Central is the place to get help for teen problems. This web site is for Teens and by Teens .

http://www.notobacco.org/ Information about teenage smoking.

http://www.coolnurse.com/self_esteem.htm Designed to help Teens develop positive self esteem.

http://wawa.essortment.com/drinkingteenpr_rfqj.htm Includes statistics and resources for dealing with teenage drinking.

http://www.preventchildabuse.org/ For thirty years, Prevent Child Abuse America has been working at the national, state and community levels to prevent child abuse in all its forms.

Related Texts

Myers, Walter Dean. (1988). Scorpions. New York: Harper and Row. 216pp. Jamal's life was rough, but once he was promoted to gang leader, he begins drowning in his violent gang culture.

Enright, Michael. (2002). Daisies in the Junkyard. New York: Tom Doherty. 237pp. Tony and Carlos want to avoid South Chicago gang life and attend college, but the pressure to conform is destroying their plans.

Crutcher, Chris. (2003). Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York: HarperTempest. 304pp. Due to Eric's obesity and Sarah's burn-scarred face, the two teenagers are social outcasts. When Eric joins the high-school swim team and begins to lose weight, he overeats to keep himself fat so Sarah will not be alone in her misery. Later, Sarah suffers a breakdown and is hospitalized. Eric proves his friendship by helping her deal with the mental and physical pain she has suffered since early childhood.

Roberts, Anita. (1999). Safe Teen: Powerful Alternatives to Violence. Custer, WA : Polestar Book Publishers. Roberts presents various strategies to help Teens react to situations nonviolently.

Weill, Sabrina Solin. (2002). We're Not Monsters: Teens Speak Out about Teens in Trouble. New York: HarperCollins. 240pp. Weill examines a variety of issues involving violence among teenagers, such as murder, suicide, rape, and self-mutilation. In addition to providing factual information, Weill interviews Teens and provides a bibliography of related resources.

Dolmetsch, Paul and Mauricette, Gail. (1986). Teens Talk About Alcohol and Alcoholism. New York: Doubleday. 144p. Dolmetsch and Mauricette provide an informative resource on alcohol, alcoholism, and having alcoholic relatives.

Dower, Laura. (2001). I Will Remember You: What to Do When Someone You Love Dies: A Guidebook Through Grief for Teens . New York: Scholastic. 208pp. Dower offers a variety of anecdotes and activities to help Teens cope with the death of a loved one.

Okutoro, Lydia Omolola, (Ed.). (1999). Quiet Storm: Voices of Young Black Poets. Hyperion. 102pp. This poetry collection includes poems representing and distinguishing the voices of young adults who are growing up. Poets write about pride, spirituality, honoring elders, creativity, and communication.

Youngs, Bettie B. (1999). Taste Berries for Teens -- Inspirational short stories and encouragement on life, love, friendship and tough issues. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications. 400pp. This book provides teenage wisdom to common teenage issues.

Thomas, Rob. (1997). Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad. New York: Simon & Schuster. 192pp. A collection of ten stories portrays Teens completing their required hours of community service. Thomas casts a cynical eye on these teenagers and their motivation as they complete their volunteer hours in libraries, Blue Santa projects, bowl-a-thons, etc. These often humorous stories are interesting and thought-provoking.

Carlson, Lori M. (1994). American Eyes: New Asian-American Short Stories for Young Adults. New York: Henry Holt. 144pp. These powerful stories by ten Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hawaiian, Filipino, and Korean writers explore the confusion and ambivalence of living with a family that celebrates one culture while growing up in a different culture.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Literary Characters in Twenty Years" Allow students to choose a character. Students will draft a composition discussing where their character will be in twenty years. The following questions can serve as a guide: Did the character you've chosen go to college? Get married? End up in jail?

[Summarized from "Traci's Lists of Ten – Ten Ways to Play with Literature" by Traci Gardner in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. October 2000, p. 14]

(2) "Character Traits" When teenagers choose friends, they are aware of personality traits they like and dislike. The students can use that same analytical ability to evaluate characters in stories. Ask students to write a letter to their parents telling them about a fellow student that they want to bring home for the weekend. The purpose of the letter is to prepare the parents for the potential guest. The twist is that the guest is a fictional character chosen by the student.

In composing their letters, the students will have to analyze the quirks of both the character and their parents. Will the character get along with the family? What discussion topics should be avoided? How should the family act around the guest? Students can also consider the conflict that the character encountered in the story. Can the family perhaps help with the conflict? Students will gain insight into the characters, their own families, and themselves. They may also begin to consider relationships between people in new ways as they think about personality makeup and how particular traits influence how people act.

[Summarized from "What a Character!" by Marilen Wegner in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. March 1992, p. 5]

(3) Various Viewpoints To develop an awareness of different viewpoints in the story, students are asked to (1) analyze and discuss the words, actions and motives of characters from the novel and (2) assume the identity of that character, reenacting various scenes in the novel, e.g. when Pony and the "soc," Randy Adderson, have a conversation at the Tasty Freeze in Chapter 7.

Students may also participate in a group discussion/debate about the favorite musicians of the "greasers" (Elvis Presley) and the "socs" (the Beatles) and why each group might relate to them.

(Review written by Suzanne Burke and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)