Greasers
What problem did the Curtis brothers face after Pony's return?
Pony and Soda might be placed in foster homes.
Why did Randy want to talk to Pony? What does this say about Randy?
He wanted to call off the rumble. It shows that Randy is coming to grips with the lifestyle. He too, like Johnny, believes nothing will change the hatred between the two groups, especially fighting.
Theme: Group Mentality and tradition: The constant battle between the socs and the greasers has become a tradition and an expectation for members of each group. In knowing this, why is the rumble important and what does it show about both groups? For this question, go back to chapter 9 and analyze the fight between Darry and Paul. The two are friends and football teammates with much in common, so why would they fight?
The battle has become tradition, and an expectation for members of each group. Rumble shows the struggle between instinct to make peace with the social obligation to fight. Darry and Paul are friends and teammates, yet go against what they believe to be morally right for the sake of keeping tradition. Two friends with much in common, but division in class forces them to be enemies. They are victims of their environment.
Discuss the importance of narrative point of view in The Outsiders.
The narrative point of view used in this novel is first person narration through the character – Ponyboy. While the narration of the novel is important and allows greater insight into the main character, we learn in these chapters how important the narration really is. In the end, the reader learns that this novel’s narration has been a written composition by Ponyboy to his English teacher.
Explain how Darry and Ponyboy's actions affect Sodapop.
After an argument between Darry and Ponyboy ensues, Sodapop can no longer take it. He storms out of the house in complete frustration. When they find him, Soda reveals that he feels like he is “the middleman in a tug o’ war” (175). He feels like he cannot take either side, so he is caught between a rock and a hard place. He says “Darry yells too much and tries to hard and takes everything too serious, and Ponyboy, you don’t think enough, you don’t realize all Darry’s giving up just to give you a chance he missed out on” (177-76).
What were Johnny's last words to Ponyboy? What did he mean by it?
"Stay gold, Ponyboy". Remain innocent. Johnny now senses the senselessness of fighting; he knows that Ponyboy is better than the average hoodlum and he wants Ponyboy to hold onto the golden qualities that set him apart from his companions and not fall victim to consequence or environment.
Why doesn't Cherry want to visit Johnny in the hospital?
She can't face the person who killed Bob, the boy that she loved.
Theme: Group Mentality: Describe the strength of group mentality through Ponyboy’s hesitation to fight.
Mob mentality is shown through Ponyboy’s hesitation to fight. He feels tension and instinct encourages him to not take part in the rumble, however, he goes along with it because he wants to show support to his “family”. He knows this participation makes him a member of the gang.
The climax of The Outsiders occurs during these chapters. Explain what happens during the climax and why this is considered the climax of the novel.
The climax of this novel is arguably Johnny’s death. The rising action develops Johnny and Pony’s relationship, and his death is the highest peak of action in the novel. The narrative builds up to this moment, and we can assume that after his death, everything will change.
DAILY DOUBLE
On the bottom of p.132, when Pony asks what kind of a world it is, why is this questioning important to Ponyboy’s character development?
At this point in the novel, Ponyboy begins to question his association with the gang and the reasons that he feels proud to be a member. He asks himself why being a greaser with a “reputation for being a hood” (132) is so important to him. As an individual, he doesn’t want to be a hood who steals and drinks and has a bad reputation, but he feels compelled to be proud (or at least pretend to be proud) of it because it is the pride of the gang. This quote shows Ponyboy’s real feelings about being a hood and shows, once again, that the individual and the group can be distinct from one another.
What was Pony's reaction when Randy talked about Johnny? Why do you think he had this reaction?
He told Randy that he had killed Bob. He said this because he hasn't processed the death of his best friend.
Why does Randy say that the rumble between the Greasers and the Socs won't solve anything?
Nobody is going to win, they'll keep on fighting and killing. It won't solve anything; Greasers will still be Greasers and Socs will still be Socs.
DAILY DOUBLE: Each team may wager their points. If they get it right, they are awarded those points; wrong, points lost.
Family: These chapters examine the importance of family bonds. Describe how the greasers, although not blood related, show many of the characteristics of a strong family: loyalty, love, and compassion for one another.
They leave open the door for one another incase they need a place to crash or escape their own demons. They aren't hoodlums, and care deeply for one another. They visit Johnny in the hospital. Dally gives the boys an ample amount of money to hide.
The following lines from these chapters use figurative language. Label which literary device is being used.
a. “The reporters fired one question right after another at me” (100).
b. “I heard our Ford’s vrrrrooooom and thought: Soda’s driving” (113).
a. Metaphor – comparing the speed of the questions to gun shots
b. Onomatopoeia – word imitating the sound of the car
Who did Darry first take on in the rumble? Why is this person significant?
Darry first takes on Paul Holden in the rumble. Paul is significant because “he and Darry used to buddy it around all the time” (142). Paul and Darry have a lot in common as they were both on the football team together. The only thing that separated them was their association with their respective gangs. Ponyboy believes that Darry was ashamed to be associated with some of the greasers who were hoods, but because he is part of the greaser gang, he needs to fight someone,
Why did Dally rob the grocery store and then raise his unloaded gun to the police?
He wanted to die. He lost the only thing that he loved in his life.
How has Ponyboy's perspective of the Socs changed? What led to this change? Provide an example.
He now sees them as human beings with problems. He sees this through his conversations with Cherry and Randy. When he begins to talk with Cherry, he starts to understand that each person in the group is an individual, and he gradually accepts her perspective that even relatively wealthy teenagers can have problems. Randy tells Ponyboy that Bob was more than just a Soc who liked to fight. He was a "best buddy; loyal", and people now miss him, just as the Greasers miss their lost loved ones.
Why are the boys more important to Johnny than his biological family? When is this shown?
They never cared for him and physically and verbally abuse him. This is shown when Johnny was in the hospital and wished for his mother to not see him. When the Greasers found this out, they made sure she wasn't able to get in the room.
The following lines from these chapters use figurative language. Label which literary device is being used.
a. “He’s so greaser…he goes to the barber for an oil change, not a haircut” (114).
b. “He was as pale as the pillow and looked awful” (120).
a. Hyperbole-exaggeration of the amount of grease in his hair.
b. Simile- comparing his coloring to the color of the pillow using 'as'.
What was the reason for Cherry not going to the hospital to see Johnny? Do you believe she was justified in her reasoning? Why or why not?
When Ponyboy suggests Cherry visit Johnny in the hospital, she says that she couldn’t because he killed Bob. *Answers for this question will vary, but students may empathize with Cherry as she knew a different side of Bob, or they may empathize with Ponyboy who thinks she should also mourn the death of her friend Johnny
What advice did Dally give to Pony on the way to the hospital after the rumble? Why is this significant? Why Does Dally never show emotion?
"Get tough like me and you won't get hurt." In a way, he was telling himself this piece of advice because he was trying to cope with Johnny being hurt. He doesn't show emotion because he is hardened by circumstances. He is not "gold".
Randy tells Ponyboy that the one thing in life that Bob wanted was for his parents to....
lay down the law, say no, set limits and boundaries, hold them accountable for actions and care about him enough to not let him do whatever he wanted.
Discuss the changes in characterization of Ponyboy from the beginning of the novel compared to his reaction to the Socs approaching him in chapter 12. What do you think caused this change?
Throughout most of the novel, Ponyboy shows very little interest in violence or crime. In chapter 12, after Johnny’s death, the reader sees a different side of Ponyboy. When he is approached by socs looking to start a fight, he immediately turns to violence by breaking a bottle and threatening them. This is uncharacteristic of Pony and shows the bitterness that is creeping in after his traumatic experiences.
The following lines from these chapters use figurative language. Label which literary device is being used.
a. “We knew better than to talk to Dally when his eyes were blazing” (125).
Metaphor-comparing his angry eyes to fire.
How does Ponyboy’s perspective on Socs start to change after his conversation with Randy? Why does he start to see things differently?
After Ponyboy’s conversation with Randy, he begins to see that the individual is not always defined by the group. During his conversation, Randy says he didn’t think a greaser could do something as heroic as Pony and Johnny did, but Ponyboy says “‘Greaser’ didn’t have anything to do with it. My buddy over there wouldn’t have done it. Maybe you would have done the same thing, maybe a friend of yours wouldn’t have. It’s the individual” (115). He begins to see that not all members of the group are the same, and that perhaps he has more in common with members of the Socs than he once thought. To further solidify this, when the conversation is over, and Pony returns to speak with TwoBit he asks “‘What’d Mr. Super-Soc have to say?’ [and Pony responds by saying] “‘He ain’t a Soc,’…’he’s just a guy’” (118).