Carter Chauvin Mrs Clark English 3 8 November, 2018 S. E. Hintons The Outsiders S.E. Hinton is an American author who is best known for her novel The Outsiders. S.E. Hintons works explore the differences in social classes and conflicts between them(Constantakis 282) . In her novel the outsiders S.E. Hinton explores themes of class conflicts, search for self, and loyalty.(Constantakis 282) S.E. Hinton was born in 1950. Her full name is Susan Eloise Hinton and she was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma.(Constantakis 282) She was an avid reader as a child and experimented with writing by the time she turned 10. Her early stories were about cowboys and horses, and she preferred plots with rough riding and gun fights.(Constantakis 282) When Hinton reached her teens, however, she could not find anything pleasing to read.(Constantakis 282) Adult literature was still a bit too complicated for her, while literature for teens consisted of innocent tales about girls finding boyfriends.(Constantakis 282) She wanted to make a realistic story about being a team. She wanted to record some events of her high school years.(Constantakis282) She took inspiration from real events and people to create a story of class warfare between teens.(Constantakis 282) After working on the novel for a year and a half and through four rewrites, she let a friend’s mother read it. The mother liked it enough to refer to her agent, Maralyn Marlow of the Curtis Brown Agency. A contract offering publication arrived during Hilton’s high – school graduation ceremonies. She was 17 when The Outsiders, the book she wrote, was published. S.E. Hinton irrevocably altered the course of juvenile literature in America with her first novel. Over the next decade, she published a new novel every four years. In 1975, she published Rumble Fish, and Tex. Although she was no longer an adolescent herself, Hinton was still able to bring her sympathy for teens and insight into their lives to her work. She only published one work in the 1980’s, 1988’s Taming the Star Runner, and in the 1900s she has focused more on picture books for younger readers than on novels.(Constankis 282) Other then her writing, Hinton is kept busy by a family life and her son, Nicholas David. She has also served as a consultant on the film adaptations of her novels and has even appeared in minor roles. She continues to write and lives in Tulsa. Her pivotal role in the development of young adult fiction was recognized in 1988, when the American Library Association awarded her the first Margaret Edwards Young Adult Author Achievement Award for her body of work. In the 1950’s they had a lot of conflicts. During the 1960’s they had the Vietnam War. Teenagers were not the only Americans who challenged authority in the 1960s. The public in general had began to question U.S. involvement in Vietnam’s war against communist rebels. In 1964, the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam doubled. In 1967, almost half a million Americans were fighting in Vietnam. In the 1960s they had many crazy things happen during that time. Romanticized movies of teen rebellion give way to upbeat musicals extolling a life of beach parties, fast cars, and teen relationships. The Beatles lead the “British Invasion” of American music as they dominate the pop charts. Their 1967 album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band uses several experimental recording techniques and influences countless pop and rock artists. Dropout rates show a sharp increase, and led by the late 1960s over 7.5 million students have left high school before graduating. In 1967, 15 percent of white students are dropouts, as opposed to almost 30 percent of black students (Hispanic rates were not recorded at this time). In an America torn by political protest, race riots, and growing recreational drug use, teenage gangs seem a minor menace in comparison. Schools are relatively safe, as violent confrontations most often occur between gangs outside of school property. In the 1990s one of the most popular genres for teens is the horror movie, in which a group of teens is pitted against a homicidal maniac. The 1996 film Scream becomes one of the top grossing releases of the year, earning over $100 million in box office receipts. Popular music has broken down into countless genres, with no one type dominating the market. Rap, “alternative,” rhythm and blues, pop, rock, and movie soundtrack albums all reach number one at various times during the decade. In 1996, the overall dropout rate remains steady at five percent, or about 500,000 students yearly. Dropout rates for both black and white students have decreased, to 6.7 and 4.1 percent respectively; the Hispanic dropout rate remains higher, at 9 percent. Low income students have the highest dropout rate of any group: 11.1 percent. Teenage gang violence is an increasing problem for both urban and rural communities. Gang violence often erupts inside schools and sometimes involves innocent bystanders. Easy access to drugs and guns leads to deaths inside school buildings and on school grounds. A clear sign that nonproliferation treaties have failed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, in 1998 first India and then Pakistan conduct nuclear tests and declare themselves nuclear states. In The Outsiders they have two rival gangs. The Socs and the Greasers were their names. The conflicts back in the 1900s gave S.E. Hinton the idea of coming up with this book based off of events in real life. A theme of this story is we have social injustice problems in our lives and people are in different classes. The issues of American Economic class are confronted head on by portrayed of the rival gangs as rich as poor. The rich socs jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next. The poor greasers , conversely, steal things and drive old souped – up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while. Each group views the other as the enemy and that’s just the way things are. But. circumstances will at least reveal to a few that everyone is human, although there will still be a rivalry. The Greasers have a member named Johnny who’s best friends with our narrator Ponyboy. Johnny kills a Soc after the Soc named Bob tries to drown Ponyboy. This starts a lot of controversy and the pay end up agreeing to have a rumble because of this. Ponyboy as Johnny go away and hide and ask their friend Dally for help. They are wanted for murder and have to get out of town. (Constantakis) 283) On their way home they see a church on fire with kids inside. They ran into the church to save the kids and Johnny came out very hurt. A few weeks later the rumble came around and the Greasers were ready to fight. They ended up winning the fight with Darry, Ponyboys older brother, leading the way for the Greasers. After the rumble the Greasers find out that Johnny has died. This makes Dally go crazy and ends up getting himself killed after robbing a bank. In conclusion, The Outsiders in all is a story about the Greasers and the Socs.. Two cliques that don’t agree with each other and cause problems. S.E. Hinton wrote this novel from what she experienced in her life. This has many life lessons that can be taught like treat people with respect and don’t do drugs and stay away from gang violence. These conflicts happen in the 1900s and it’s still some conflicts we go through in our lives today. The Outsiders can be used as a guide for staying on the right path in life. 9 Works Cited Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Puffin Books, 1988. Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New Viking Press, 1967. Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Penguin Group, 1967. Clark, Janet. Cliff notes on The Outsiders. Accessed 23 Oct. 2018. Simmons, John S, Critical essay “The Outsiders.” Novels for Students edited by Marie Rose Napierkowski, vol 5, Gale, 1988, pp. 297. Daily, Jay, Critical essay “The Outsiders.” Novels for Students edited by Marie Rose Napierkowski, vol 5, Gale, 199, pp. 301. Doughtry, Jane Elizabeth, Critical essay “The Outsiders.” Novels for Students edited by Marie Rose Napierkowski, vol 5, Gale, 1999, pp. 294. Constantakis, Sarah, editor. Novels for Students. Vol35, Gale, 204. Powersearch, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/pub/3984/GPS?u=lap55vch£tisid= GPS. Accessed Oct. 2018.