The Outsiders
S.E. Hinton
Journal
DIRECTIONS: In every organized grouping of people, social cliques
exist. Think about the social groups (cliques) that exist at our
school. Where do you fit into this structure, and do you feel that your
placement in this category/group is a fair and accurate one? Why or
why not? Things to consider:
1. What specific social groupings exist in our school?
2. What characteristics does each social grouping possess?
3. Who makes up the criteria for membership in different social
groupings?
4. How easy/difficult is it to get out of a social group that you
have been placed in?
5. What do people need to do to change their social status?
Are they easily accepted into a new one?
Directions: Use the information from your free write, and add information that you
have thought of since then to fill in the cluster outline. Your main idea goes inside
the oval. You can attach supporting ideas as boxes attached to the circles. Place
stars to the social groups you feel you belong to.
SanLee’s
Social
Groups
Time to Discuss
• What are the main social groups at
SanLee?
• What are the secondary social groups at
SanLee?
S.E. Hinton
• Susan Eloise Hinton was born in the 1950s in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, a place that she describes as “a pleasant
place to live if you don’t want to do anything.” She began
The Outsiders at the age of fifteen, inspired by her
frustration with the social divisions in her high school and
the lack of realistic fiction for high school readers. The
Outsiders, first published in 1967, tells the story of class
conflict between the greasers, a group of low-class
youths, and the Socs (short for Socials), a group of
privileged rich kids who live on the wealthy West Side of
town. The novel broke ground in the genre of Young
Adult fiction, transcending established boundaries in its
portrayal of violence, class conflict, and prejudice.
• Hinton’s publishers decided that Hinton
should publish her novel under the name
S. E. Hinton in order to cloak her gender.
They worried that readers would not
respect The Outsiders, which features
male protagonists and violent situations, if
they knew a female wrote it. Hinton has
said that she does not mind using an
authorial name that is gender neutral.
• The language and details of the novel root the
story in the sixties. Characters call fights
“rumbles,” and people listen to the Beatles and
Elvis Presley. The novel is set in the Southwest,
as evidenced by the fact that many greasers ride
in local rodeos. Despite its location in a specific
time and place, however, the novel is
remarkable for its ability to transcend location.
The Outsiders examines the universal urge to
form factions, compete, and unite for survival.
With only a few minor cosmetic changes, the
novel could easily take place in a contemporary
setting. This fact has given it universal appeal for
the last few decades.
• Hinton attempts to humanize the greasers,
the outsiders of the story’s title, by
showing that their exterior toughness
masks vulnerability and emotion. She
makes both the greasers and the Socs
sympathetic and refuses to cast blame on
one group over the other. As one character
tells another, “Things are rough all over.”
• After the publication of her first novel, Hinton felt
pressure to turn out a successful sophomore effort.
She had difficulty writing under this stress, and her
boyfriend (who later become her husband) nudged
her along by taking her out only if she had
completed two pages per day. Hinton successfully
finished her second novel, titled That Was Then,
This is Now, published in 1971. In all, she has written eight novels for young adults. The Outsiders
is Hinton’s best-selling novel. A film version of the
novel, starring C. Thomas -Howell, Patrick Swayze,
Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe,
and Ralph Macchio, was released in 1983.
Study Questions Ch. 1 & 2
• 1. Why do you think Ponyboy loves going to the
movies? What do movies do for him?
2. What does Ponyboy mean when he says that
he does well in school but he doesn’t “use his
head”?
3. What are some of the reasons Ponyboy gives
for Darry’s strict rules?
4. Why doesn’t Ponyboy think Darry loves him?
Study Questions Ch. 1&2
• 4. Why doesn’t Ponyboy think Darry loves him?
5. What is Johnny’s life at home like? What do the Greaser’s give
Johnny that he doesn’t get at home?
6. How does Ponyboy feel when the Soc’s tease him?
7. Who does Ponyboy think looks like a movie star?
a. Sodapop b. Johnny c. Steve Randle d. Himself
8. What is Two-Bit Matthews famous for?
a. fixing cars b. eating 4 dozen eggs c. shoplifting d. weightlifting
9. Why doesn’t Ponyboy live with his mom and dad?
a. they don’t want him b. they were killed c. he chose to live w/his
brothers
Study Questions Ch. 1 & 2
• 10. Who is Sodapop’s girlfriend?
a. Sandie b. Evie c. Sylvia d. Marcy
11. Who was the captain of the football team in
high school?
a. Dally b. Darry c. Ponyboy d. Steve
12. Which of the Greasers was in jail at 10 years
old?
a. Dallas b. Two-Bit Matthews c. Darry d.
Sodapop
The Outsiders Chapters 3 & 4
Discussion Questions
•
1. Why does Ponyboy dream about the country?
2. Why does Ponyboy think that Dally could never love
anyone or anything?
3. Why does Ponyboy feel bad when he talks about his
unhappy home life to Johnny?
4. Why would a Soc like Cherry Valence be attracted to a
Greaser like Dally?
The Outsiders Chapters 3 & 4
Discussion Questions
•
4. Why would a Soc like Cherry Valence be attracted to a Greaser like
Dally?
5. When he is talking to Cherry, what does Ponyboy say separates
Greasers from Socs?
a. money b. location c. cars d. feelings
6. According to Cherry, what is the main difference between Greasers and
Socs?
a. money b. location c. cars d. feelings
7. Who was Mickey Mouse?
a. Soda’s horse b. Soda’s puppy c. Soda’s car d. Soda’s toy
8. According to Bob, what is a Greaser?
a. white trash with madras and Mustangs b. white trash with long hair c.
white trash
The Outsiders Chapters 3 & 4
Discussion Questions
• 9. Who helps Johnny and Ponyboy escape
after the murder?
a. Two-Bit b. Dally c. Buck Merill d. Darry
10. Where do Ponyboy and Johnny hide
out after the murder?
a. a train car b. a church c. a school d. a
field
The Outsiders Chapters 5 & 6
Discussion Questions
• 1. What do the boys do to their hair the day after they
arrive at the church? Why?
• 2. Why can’t Ponyboy tell anyone but Johnny about the
“sunrise and clouds and stuff”?
3. How does Ponyboy feel about hunting? Why do you
think he is afraid to tell Dally he feels this way?
4. How does Johnny feel when he finds out his parents
weren’t looking for him?
• 5. What is the reason Dallas gives for not wanting to see Johnny go
to jail?
6. Why do you think Johnny looks happy when he’s in the burning
church?
7. The boys pass the time in the church by reading:
a. Time magazine b. Gone With the Wind c. the comics
8. What makes Johnny think of Dallas as “gallant”?
a. is success with girls
b. coolly accepting blame for something another gang member did
c. the way he helped the boys hide out
d. his criminal record
• 9. Who writes Ponyboy a letter when they are hiding
out?
a. Soda b. Cherry c. Darry d. Two-Bit
10. Where do the police think Johnny and Pony have
gone to after the murder?
a. NY b. Texas c. Oklahoma d. Kansas
11. What does Ponyboy find most scary about Dallas?
a. his criminal record b. his hair c. his realness d. his
intelligence
12. Who is the “spy” for the greasers?
a. Randy b. Bob c. Marcia d. Cherry