S. E. Hinton's Influence On The Outsiders

Imagine this, a 15 year old girl going to a small high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma decides to write a novel that would soon be one of the most famous young adult novels ever written. That is exactly what Susan Eloise Hinton did. S.E. Hinton was born on July 22, 1948. As a sophomore in high school, Hinton wrote The Outsiders and had it published before she graduated. S.E. Hinton grew up among two feuding groups (the greasers and the soc’s) that sparked the idea for her most famous novel, The Outsiders, which she wrote in high school after her friend was jumped.
S.E. Hinton has always enjoyed reading and writing but was never happy with the young adult books available at the time. This inspired her to write her own. Hinton was influenced by authors

such as Mary Renault and Jane Austen. “I can pick a lot of authors who have influenced me. My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Mary Renault, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Shirley Jackson” (Hinton 182). Hinton had always wanted to write when she was younger. She started on a typewriter at the age of 12 and wrote about things that interested her. She also loved reading. As soon as she knew how, she would read whatever she could get her hands on. “I loved to read, and as soon as I learned how, I was reading everything I could get my hands on” (Hinton 182).
Hinton lived among two feuding gangs and while living among them, she experienced many different events that affected her. These groups gave her an idea for a main theme that can be found in some of her books. Hinton explained how she was an observer in high school, always watching what was going on around her. Hinton said she claimed to be a witness to
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“social class warfare in high school” (Hunt 2). This “warfare” influenced her to write about things she saw happening. As a result, watching the two opposing gangs helped create one of her most famous works. Hinton talks about her depictions of society, “I consider it as a claustrophobic and fatal environment” (Susan Eloise Hinton 1). This statement influenced by the people she lived near growing up has impacted her writing career.
S.E.

Hinton’s famous novel The Outsiders was influenced by many factors. One of these factors was that she lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This rural location allowed for more unnoticed violence. “Hinton’s frank depiction of the cruelty and violence that teens can perpetrate upon one another was a new development in books for adolescents” (Susan Eloise Hinton 1). Since Hinton was a teen when the book was written, most of the characters are also teens and very few adults are mentioned. “Hinton’s works usually involve her depictions of society” (Hunt 1). These are all examples of the influences she had from her hometown.
S.E. Hinton considered herself a tomboy, this also had an influence on her novel The Outsiders. “I was a tomboy- I played football, my close friends were guys” (Hinton 182). Since the book was influenced by her life, most of the characters are male. More guys tend to get in more trouble and this helped create the violent storyline. “Gave birth to the new realism in adolescent literature” (Susan Eloise Hinton 1). Some of her other actions and experiences that happened in her group of friends also influenced her

book.
S.E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders, has caused critics to have mixed reviews about its quality and content. However, many of them have given positive reviews of the novel. “At that time realistic teenage fiction didn’t exist” (Hinton 182). Reviewers really liked the fact that such a young author was publishing a new style of writing. Hinton was asked how she feels about the content of her books and she said that she believes it gives parents a teaching moment for their
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kids. “She expects parent to connect to their children and their reading” (Hunt 2). Hinton’s works usually involve her depictions of society which she then links to her novels. Some critics really like and enjoy the originality and authenticity of an opinion based book.
Some critics also have negative views on the structure and content of The Outsiders.

Critics may say that the novel has a very strong theme of general violence and also a theme of gang violence. “Hinton’s frank depiction of the cruelty and violence that teens can perpetrate upon one another was a new development in books for adolescents, and led some adult critics to condemn the novel's realism” (Susan Eloise Hinton 1). Another factor that affects the critics reviews is that the novel was written by a teen and may not be the best quality. This also leads them to believe that parts of the novel are extremely over exaggerated or falsified. “Some critics believe that her novels are more graphic than factual” (Susan Eloise Hinton 1). Few critics may also want to add that they believe the novel has a few too many plot resolutions, meaning that the story ends in more places than

one.
S.E. Hinton lived in Oklahoma among two feuding groups (the greasers and the soc’s) that sparked the idea for her most famous novel, The Outsiders, which she wrote as a sophomore at Will Rogers High School after her friend was jumped. S.E. Hinton was important because she pioneered the path for many young adult novels to come. She also sent a message to all her readers in her novel The Outsiders, saying that fights over social class are pointless and only lead to more conflict. This book affected her whole life and she went from being a young author to being a very well know writer of many famous novels. Susan Eloise Hinton had a major impact on some of today's most popular genres and taught a very valuable lesson to many people.