The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Post-reading Activities
Select ONE activity from each section.
Section A
Demonstrating Understanding of main idea and related evidence.
Each response should be organized in multiple paragraphs.
1.
Choose the character who is the most heroic, in your opinion. Consult a dictionary for
characteristics of a hero, and use the dictionary definition to help organize your answer.
Explain clearly why you chose this person from among the many major characters in the
novel.
2.
What has Ponyboy learned about humanity and life by the end of the novel? Comment on at
least three criteria, and support each one with evidence from the book.
3.
Loneliness is an important theme in this novel. Select a character who feels loneliness, and
explain why you believe he/she feels this way. What are the causes of the loneliness? Is
there a realistic solution?
4.
Do you think Johnny made the right decision when he refused to see his mother in the
hospital? Argue for your point of view, giving at least three reasons.
Section B
Responding Through Fiction
Use multiple paragraphs!
1.
Write Cherry Valance’s diary for the evening on which chapter 8 ends. At minimum, include
her feelings about Bob, Johnny and Ponyboy.
2.
Johnny was fascinated with the “gallant” southern gentleman he read about in Gone With the
Wind when he and Ponyboy were hiding in the church. Write what Johnny might have said
about Dally’s death, using the idea of “dying gallant.”
3.
Hinton uses a first-person narrative through Ponyboy’s point of view. Rewrite Dally’s story
using his voice and point of view from the time Dally leaves Johnny’s hospital room until just
before he dies.
4.
At times, the gang got into fights even though they knew they would be hurt and would have
to heal painfully. Write a diary that Sodapop might have composed, in which he explains why
this happened.