The Outsiders – Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 1
1. Who is Paul Newman?
2. Who is the narrator?
3. What are the differences between the greasers and the Socs?
Why do you think they dislike each other? Do you identify
with either group? Why or why not?
4. Significant quote: “He [Soda] gets drunk on just plain
living” (8). Explain what this means.
5. What is the setting of the story?
6. Significant quote: “I lie to myself all the time. But I never
believe me" (18). Explain what Ponyboy means by this.
CHAPTER 2
What are “Kools”?
What does Marcia do that Cherry doesn’t? What does this say about Cherry?
This chapter includes a flashback. On what page does it begin? End? What is the purpose of the flashback?
Significant quote: “Living in those conditions might have turned someone else rebellious and bitter; it was
killing Johnny” (33-34). Explain the quote.
5. Significant quote: “Things are rough all over” (35). Cherry says this. What does she mean?
6. The last line of the chapter is “I know better now” (36). From a narration perspective, what does this line tell
us? Is the story being told as it is unfolding, or is it being recalled after some time?
1.
2.
3.
4.
CHAPTER 3
1. Significant quote: “You greasers have a different set of values. You’re more emotional. We’re sophisticated—
cool to the point of not feeling anything. Nothing is real with us” (38). What is Cherry saying? What does this
tell you about her?
2. We find out that Soda once had a horse called Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse, just like the marshmallow cake
in “Charles,” is a symbol. What might it represent?
3. Significant quote: “It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the
back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the
same sunset” (40-41). The sunset is also a symbol. Of what? Explain.
4. What happens on page 48?
5. In popular music history, how prominent are Elvis Presley and The Beatles? Discuss their contributions to
popular music.
CHAPTER 4
1. Who is Hank Williams?
2. Write one sentence using all of the following: Buck Merrill’s place, Johnny, Jay Mountain, Dally, abandoned
church, Ponyboy.
3. On page 62, what is the purpose of the big space between paragraphs?
CHAPTER 5
1. Johnny buys Ponyboy a copy of the novel Gone with the Wind. What is this novel about? The novel was
turned into a film. How successful was it? Who starred in it?
2. Explication is the close analysis of language (images, symbols, diction, style, etc.) to reveal the meaning of a
work. In this chapter, Ponyboy recites Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Explicate the poem,
first by jotting down any impressions of what you think each line means. After you have done this, research
the poem online to obtain perhaps a more thorough understanding of each line. How might this poem relate to
or reflect upon the life of the poet himself?
3. Any foreshadowing in this chapter?
4. Where and when was the first Dairy Queen built? Who was the founder? How many are there today?
The Outsiders – Discussion Questions
5. Significant quote: “We couldn’t watch the sunset, since the back faced east, but I loved to look at the colors of
the fields and the soft shadings of the horizon” (76). What is the symbolic meaning in this quote?
6. Discuss the other symbols in this chapter: the abandoned church, Gone with the Wind, cut hair, gold
CHAPTER 6
1. Significant quote: “I had taken the long way around, but I was finally home. To stay” (99). Explain what
Ponyboy means.
2. In this chapter, the burning church might be seen as a symbol of what? Explain.
CHAPTER 7
1. What can be inferred on page 111?
2. Where and when was the first Tasty Freeze built? Who was the founder? How many are there today?
3. Significant quote: “ ‘Greaser’ didn’t have anything to do with it . . . . It’s the individual” (115). What is
Ponyboy saying here?
4. On page 116, Randy talks about Bob and his parents. Summarize in one sentence the point he’s trying to make
about parents and their children.
5. Significant quote: “Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs” (117). What
does Randy mean by this?
CHAPTER 8
1. “Cherry was sitting in her Corvette by the vacant lot when we came by” (127). Who drives the following cars:
Corvair, Mustang, Thunderbird? What do the Curtis boys drive? Find out what these automobiles look like.
Consider using any year from 1960 to 1965 for your search. Which is your favorite?
CHAPTER 9
1. Significant quote: “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold” (148). What is Johnny’s message to Ponyboy?
CHAPTER 10
1. What is the unloaded gun a symbol of?
2. What is the climax of the novel?
CHAPTER 11
1. Why do you think Ponyboy insists that he is the one who killed Bob? How might this help Ponyboy feel better?
CHAPTER 12
1. “I guess I’ve been watching too many Perry Mason shows” (167). Who is Perry Mason?
2. Do you believe that Ponyboy will “stay gold” or do you think that “nothing gold can stay”? Give evidence
from the story to support your opinion.
3. Discuss the last sentence of the novel.