Quotes
"He ain’t a Soc, he’s just a guy. He just wanted to talk.”
Ponyboy
What is one of key motifs in The Outsiders? Explain how it shows up in the novel and why it is important.
Family and brotherhood - the greasers do not have strong relationships with their biological family, so they find their belongingness and loyalty within the gang
How does Ponyboy's conversation with Randy in the car, change his perspective?
Socs have problems too, Randy is a normal guy and Ponyboy doesn't think the rumble will resolve anything.
Explain why Sodapop runs away. Be specific.
Sodapop runs away because he is upset that his brothers are arguing and putting him the middle of their argument.
What is revealed on the last page of our novel?
Ponyboy wrote the book as his essay for English class.
"You can’t win, even if you whip us. You’ll still be where you were before – at the bottom. And we’ll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks."
Randy
What is an allusion? Give one example from The Outsiders.
An allusion is a reference to history or a piece of literature.
Examples: Great Expectations, Gone with the Wind, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Call of the Wild (Wolf pack), Paul Newman
How does Ponyboy's perspective change about Bob throughout the novel? Think about the three phases of perspectives.
1: Soc, rich kid
2: Learned he has a good side and had his own problems from Cherry and Randy's perspective
3: He is a complex guy who can be good and bad guy at the same time
Explain the events leading up to Dally's death. Be specific.
Johnny dies, Dally robs a grocery story and is chased by the police, Dally waves an unloaded gun at the police and is shot to death.
What advice does Dallas give Ponyboy?
To act tough and nothing can hurt you. "That’s what you get for helpin’ people. You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you.”
"That’s what you get for helpin’ people. You get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you.”
Dallas or Dally
What is a stereotype? How is this a key theme in the novel?
Stereotype - an unfair or untrue belief of a group of people based on one characteristic
Hinton creates a key theme throughout the novel that stereotypes keep people from seeing someone for who they really are.
Beginning of the novel - Ponyboy disliked the Socs for their higher status, wealth and privilege and believed they had no worries
End of the novel - Ponyboy understands that all people have challenges and that the Socs are "just guys after all"
Explain details about Johnny's letter to Ponyboy. What is the theme of the letter?
Johnny wrote Ponyboy a letter before he died. Johnny’s letter further explains the meaning of Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and emphasizes Johnny’s belief that Ponyboy’s innocence and appreciation for the beauty of life is something good and valuable that he should fight to hold onto.
“Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for…I know it was worth it.” What is Johnny talking about? Why is this important?
Johnny is saying the kids he saved from the fire have more to live for than he did and he is glad he saved them. This is important because Johnny is a hero and died gallantly.
"You only knew his bad side. He could be sweet sometimes, and friendly. But when he got drunk…it was that part of him that beat up Johnny."
Cherry
What is a key theme? Give an example of one from our novel that is related to Nothing Gold Can Stay.
The book's main message or the moral of the story.
Holding onto to innocence, even after tragedy OR "staying gold."
Explain how is Ponyboy's perspective of Dally's death is different than society's. Be specific.
Ponyboy believes that Dallas died a hero because helped save the kids and protected Johnny and Ponyboy when they ran away.
Society will view Dallas as a hoodlum, focusing on his reckless behavior, low social status, and criminal record.
JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES. What event was this news article published for? Explain how it shifts society's view of the greasers.
The news article was published after the boys saved the kids from the fire.
Before the article, society viewed greasers as lower class hoodlums, and after it shows that the greasers can be heroes too.
How do Dally and Ponyboy react differently to Johnny's death?
Dally broke by running away, robbing a grocery store and is shot by the police.
Ponyboy is in denial.
“We’re all we’ve got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything."
Sodapop
Retrospective narration - first person point of view looking back on past events
Since we know Ponyboy submitted the story for his English paper, he is recalling the events and sharing his insights throughout the novel.
What is Ponyboy's perspective on the rumble? How is it different from the rest of the greasers?
Ponyboy is the only greaser that is not excited for the rumble. He doesn't think it will fix any of their problems with the Socs and that fighting is stupid.
Explain the scene when Ponyboy threatens to use the broken glass bottle. What does it reveal about Ponyboy? Be specific.
Ponyboy is dealing with the death of both Johnny and Dallas. He is in denial and attempts to be tough as a way to protect himself. He threatened someone with the broken bottle and Two-Bit questions his actions. Before they leave, he picks up the broken glass, worrying about someone getting a flat tire.
Though he threatened someone with a broken bottle to look tough, he shows that he is still good, thoughtful and caring to pick up the glass.
Does Ponyboy "stay gold," like Johnny tells him to?