Characters
14 year old protagonist, youngest greaser, likes books and movies.
Who is Ponyboy
16 year-old greaser who is abused at home, views the greasers as his true family, is nervous/suspicious, is the gang’s pet, was beat up badly by the socs.
Who is Johnny
How do Darry and Ponyboy get along?
They have a tough love relationship since their parents passed away in a car crash eight months ago and Darry has to keep the family together.
How does Darry react when Ponyboy comes home late? Why do you think he reacts that way?
Darry yells at him, and then slaps Pony so hard that it knocks him against the door. Darry reacts this way because he is afraid the boys will be sent away.
In which sport does Ponyboy participate?
Track
Ponyboy's oldest brother who works too much after the death of their mom and dad-he is tough on Ponyboy.
Who is Darry
PB’s 16 year old brother who dropped out of school, happy go-lucky, understands everyone.
Who is Sodapop
What's the inciting incident of the story?
When Johnny murders Bob the soc.
Who are the socs? Who are the greasers?
The Socials are the jet set West-side rich kids with “all the breaks”, whereas the Greasers are lower class and are “like hoods”-Greasers steal things, drive old souped-up cars, hold up gas stations and get into gang fights.
What is the name of Sodapop’s horse?
Who is Mickey Mouse
The toughest, coldest, meanest, and most dangerous of the greasers-is protective of Johnny. Gets drunk/gets arrested.
Who is Dally
The soc murdered by Johnny
Bob
What does Cherry say about the differences between the Socs and the Greasers?
They have a different set of values-greasers are more emotional, whereas the socs are difficult to satisfy because they have more than what they need or want, and don’t feel like they can be themselves. Fundamentally, greasers feel too much, and socs “too little”.
Why is the ‘gang’ important to Johnny?
The gang is important to Johnny because he views the greasers as him family.
In which town is the abandoned church where Ponyboy and Johnny hide out located?
Windrixville
Carries a black-handled switchblade
Who is Two-Bit Mathews
Bob's girlfriend
Who is Cherry
What literary device is used when Johnny’s mugging is described?
What is a flashback
Who is the second-youngest member of the greasers?
Who is Johnny
What does Ponyboy say is visible on both the East Side and the West Side?
Sunsets
Sodapop's buddy whose specialty is cars
Who is Steve Randle
Leader of a tough gang
Who is Tim Shepard
What three things did Dally get for the boys to help them get out of town?
$50, a loaded gun, and a jacket
What is Ponyboy comparing Two-Bit with when he calls him a “Chessy-Cat”? What figure of speech is this?
Refers to a Cheshire Cat, the grinning cat described in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, suggesting that Two-Bit is smiling widely. This comparison is a simile because it compares two unlike things using like or as.
Reflect on Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. What do you think this poem is saying about life? What is the message of the poem?
-Nothing beautiful lasts forever
-Everything must eventually die