Characters
“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” Who is this? List 3 character traits!
Ponyboy!
Barrier.
What does this mean? Use it in a sentence!
A fence or other obstacle that prevents movement or access.
"Listen, Soda, you and Ponyboy," Darry said as we strode down the street, "if the fuzz show, you two beat it out of there. The rest of us can only get jailed. You two can get sent to a boys' home." "Nobody in this neighborhood's going to call the fuzz," Steve said grimly.
What is the "fuzz"? Use it in a sentence!
The cops!
In what state and during what decade does this book take place?
Oklahoma during the 1960's.
Give a brief description of Ponyboy’s dream of living in the country... Why does Ponyboy dream about the country?
He tells Johnny that he wants to live far from the city, where everything would just be peaceful and calm. He dreams about this because he does not want to be around all the gang drama. He just wants everyone to be happy and live a good life.
"[he] never touches a drop—he doesn‘t have to. He gets drunk on just plain living. And he understands everybody". Who is this? Tell me 3 things about him!
Sodapop!
Bombard.
What does this mean? Use it in a sentence!
assail (someone) persistently, as with questions, criticisms, or information.
"They liked the Beatles and thought Elvis Presley was out, and we thought the Beatles were rank and that Elvis was tuff, but that seemed the only difference to me".
What does "tuff" mean? How is it different than "tough"? Use it in a sentence!
Cool, sharp. Tough means "rough".
What part of town are the Socs and greasers from? Where does Ponyboy long to live?
Socs are from the West Side, greasers from the East Side. Pony longs to live in the country.
Why does Ponyboy feel bad when he talks about his unhappy home life to Johnny?
He feels ashamed because Johnny has it much more tough at home. As Johnny points out, at least Pony has Soda and Darry.
"He was the gang‘s pet, everyone‘s kid brother. His father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him. . . . he would have run away a million times if we hadn‘t been there. If it hadn‘t been for the gang, [he] would never have known what love and affection are". Who is this?
Johnny!
“Socs were always behind a wall of aloofness, careful not to let their real selves show through”.
What does "aloof" mean? Use it in a sentence!
not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.
' 'You ain't a'woofin',' I said, rubbing my bare arms between drags on my cigarette”.
What does "a'woofin" mean? Use it in a sentence!
Kidding or teasing!
Where were Pony and Jonny when the Socs rolled up on them late at night? Why were they there? What were the Socs mad at them for?
They were in the park near Pony's home. Darry had just hit Pony so he had ran to the park and grabbed Johnny with the idea of running away together. The Socs are mad because they were with Cherry and Marcia at the movies earlier that night.
According to Cherry, what is the main difference between Greasers and Socs?
Cherry says Socs are unemotional, they have no goals and they don't really have REAL friends. Greasers are emotional, have goals and treat each other like family. She agrees that money separates them but says it's more than that.
" [he] didn‘t deserve to work like an old man when he was only twenty. He had been a real popular guy in school; he was captain of the football team and he had been voted Boy of the Year. But we just didn‘t have the money for him to go to college, even with the athletic scholarship he won. And now he didn‘t have time between jobs to even think about college. So he never went anywhere and never did anything anymore". Who is this?
Darry!
"She gave him an incredulous look; and then she threw her Coke in his face".
What does "incredulous" mean? Use it in a sentence!
(of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something.
"You dig, pony?"
To understand.
List some places where the greasers enjoy hanging out.
Drive in, rodeos, gas stations, the park/lot.
Ponyboy realizes he and Cherry have things in common, even though they are from rival groups. How are Ponyboy and Cherry alike?
Pony and Cherry both like to read and watch sunsets. They go to the same school. Cherry also helps Pony understand that their two gang groups are more alike than he thinks. They also both wish that the gangs did not fight so much.
" [he] hated to do things the legal way. He liked to show that he didn‘t care whether there was a law or not. He went around trying to break laws". Who is this? Where did he used to live? What happened when he was 10? What kindve sets him apart from the other gang members?
Dally! Used to live in New York. He went to jail. He is a little more wild than the others and has seen more in his life.
"Mickey Mouse was a dark-gold buckskin, sassy and ornery, not much more than a colt. He kicked other horses and was always getting into trouble".
What does "ornery" mean? Use it in a sentence!
bad-tempered and combative. Grouchy, grumpy.
"don't you know a rumble ain't a rumble without me?"
What is a "rumble"? Use it in a sentence!
A gang fight.
All of our characters are white but where they live is not an exclusively white place nor has it ever been. Who is missing from this book and why is that?
People of color are not represented in this book, despite being present in Oklahoma, including black people and Native Americans.
Answers will vary: During this time, everyone was still really segregated. There were a lot of movements going on, including the Civil Rights Movement. There was like a lot of racism. There may not have been students of color at the school that these two gangs go to, or these groups were very separate at school.
Why did Johnny kill Bob? Did he have any other choice? Explain.
Johnny killed Bob because, if he didn't, Ponyboy would have been drowned by another of the Socs.