Susan Eloise Hinton's The Outsiders
Susan Eloise Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1950, and has lived there most of her life. She has come to be known as S.E. Hinton which speaks to the author’s remarkable identification with her audience. Hinton, famous for her novels about trouble young men, tried to conceal her female identity so she would not alienate male readers.
Hinton says she began writing soon after she started reading. For many years, she concentrated on writing about cowboys and horses. She even completed two books about her favorite passion.
But the troubling clashes between greasers and Socs that Hinton witnessed during her teen years eventually forced its way into her writing. Though she was neither a greaser nor Soc herself, she personally knew teens from both groups. It was the beating of one of her greaser friends that inspired The Outsiders.
The Outsiders was Hinton’s attempt …show more content…
At the same time that she was composing the book, she received a D in her creative writing class. Luckily, undiscouraged, Hinton continued writing.
To gain the necessary background for her subject, Hinton read everything she could find on juvenile delinquency. She also explored the greasers’ world firsthand. Her passport into their territory was a long jackknife she carried. Fascinated by the knife, the boys would fall into conversation with Hinton and reveal their escapades, problems and frustrations. Hinton made a similar exploration of the Socs’ world, though she often found the Socs’ mask of “coolness” hard to penetrate.
The Outsiders was published when Hinton was seventeen. It was an instant bestseller and won Hinton the praise of critics and readers alike for insightful, honest depiction of teens’ emotions.
The success of the book allowed Hinton to enroll at the University of Tulsa. She graduated from there with a B.S. in education in 1970. In September of that same year, she married David Inhofe, a student she had met at the
Hinton says she began writing soon after she started reading. For many years, she concentrated on writing about cowboys and horses. She even completed two books about her favorite passion.
But the troubling clashes between greasers and Socs that Hinton witnessed during her teen years eventually forced its way into her writing. Though she was neither a greaser nor Soc herself, she personally knew teens from both groups. It was the beating of one of her greaser friends that inspired The Outsiders.
The Outsiders was Hinton’s attempt …show more content…
At the same time that she was composing the book, she received a D in her creative writing class. Luckily, undiscouraged, Hinton continued writing.
To gain the necessary background for her subject, Hinton read everything she could find on juvenile delinquency. She also explored the greasers’ world firsthand. Her passport into their territory was a long jackknife she carried. Fascinated by the knife, the boys would fall into conversation with Hinton and reveal their escapades, problems and frustrations. Hinton made a similar exploration of the Socs’ world, though she often found the Socs’ mask of “coolness” hard to penetrate.
The Outsiders was published when Hinton was seventeen. It was an instant bestseller and won Hinton the praise of critics and readers alike for insightful, honest depiction of teens’ emotions.
The success of the book allowed Hinton to enroll at the University of Tulsa. She graduated from there with a B.S. in education in 1970. In September of that same year, she married David Inhofe, a student she had met at the