The Outsiders
S. E. Hinton
Chapter 1
1. Complete a brief summary of the important events of this chapter (8-10
lines).
Summary: This chapter starts with a line made classic by The Outsiders:
“When I stepped out …and a ride home.” This is also the line that
makes up the ending of the book.
The chapter opens with Ponyboy coming out of the movie theatre and
starting on his long walk home. His thought give the reader some
insight into the setting and the life of the characters. We learn that
Ponyboy’s parents are deceased, having been killed in an automobile
accident. We also learn that Darry (Darrel), the older brother, takes care
of Sodapop and Ponyboy. We learn of the relationship between the
brothers, and of their standing as “Greasers” in society. We learn also
that the enemies of the greasers are the “Socs”(short for socials).
The next action in the chapter is the assault by the Socs on Ponyboy.
His brothers come to his rescue. What ensues is a conversation
between Ponyboy and his brothers, mixed in with Ponyboy’s thoughts
on their way home. Through the conversation and the thoughts, we
learn more about the family situation and about the boys’ friends.
Among other things, Ponyboy remembers when the Socs assaulted
Johnny, and how Johnny had been scared since. We also witness Darry
yelling at Ponyboy, and Sodapop standing up for his little brother.
2. Give a brief physical and psychological description for each of the
following characters:
a) Ponyboy Curtis:
14 years old; light brown, almost-red hair; greenish-gray eyes; his hair a bit
long; small for his age, though he has a good build; makes good grades
and has high IQ, but doesn’t use his head…
b) Sodapop Curtis:
16 years old; handsome as a movie star; finely drawn, sensitive face
that looks reckless and thoughtful at the same time; dark gold hair
which is long silky and straight; dark brown lively, dancing eyes that
can be sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next; never
cracks a book; happy-go-lucky; doesn’t drink…
c) Darry Curtis:
20 years old; six-feet-two; broad-shouldered and muscular; dark brown hair;
his eyes are like two pieces of pale blue green ice; looks tough, cool and
smart; does not understand anything that’s not plain hard fact, but he uses
his head; works long and hard; real name is Darrel…
d) Two-Bit Matthews:
18 years old; oldest of the gang; wisecracker; six feet tall; stocky in build;
long rusty-colored sideburns; gray eyes; wide grin; very talkative which
explains his nickname; famous for shoplifting and his black-handle
switchblade.
e) Steve Randle:
17 years old; tall and lean; has thick greasy hair; cocky and smart; Soda’s
best friend; likes to work on cars.
f) Dallas Winston:
Dally; elfish face with high cheekbones and pointed chin; small, sharp
animal teeth; ears like a lynx long blond hair looks almost white; blue eyes
which are blazing ice, cold with a hatred of the whole world, arrested at the
age of ten; tougher, colder, meaner than the others; lived in New York.
g) Johnny Cade:
Looked like a little dark puppy kicked too many times; slight build, big black
eyes in a dark tanned face; jet black greased hair; nervous suspicious look
in his eyes; the gang’s pet; his father beats him up, and his mother ignores
him.
3) Describe the setting (time and place):
The story takes place in a small unidentified town, specifically in the
“East Side” where the greasers lived. The action in this chapter
takes place at night: from early to late evening. On page 5, there is
bright sunlight outside the movie house, whereas on page 19, there
is moonlight.
Chapter 2
4. How do Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally get in to see the movie?
They sneak in over the back fence of the Nightly Double drive-in movie:
Dally never liked to do things the “legal way”.
5. a) How does Dally behave with the girls?
He is mean, inconsiderate, and impolite.
b) How do the girls react to his behaviour?
An angered Cherry throws a Coke in his face.
6. Who sticks up for the girls against Dally?
Johnny Cade
7. How does Dally react?
Because Johnny was the gang’s pet, Dally simply walked away and
didn’t come back.
8. On pages 32 and 33, there is foreshadowing. Explain what it is and
say what it annouces.
“And Johnny, who was the most law-abiding of us, now carried in his
back pocket a six-inch switchblade. He’d use it too, if he ever got jumped
again.” This serves to forshadow Johnny using his knife to possibly kill
someone.
9. Why doesn’t Johnny speak to girls much?
According to Ponyboy, it’s either because he’s afraid of Steve or because he
is shy.
Chapter 3
10. How does Cherry explain the difference between socs and greasers?
How does this make Ponyboy feel?
They have different sets of values: the greasers are emotional, whereas
the socs are superficial to the point of not feeling anything.
11. What important conclusion about socs and greasers does Ponyboy
come to? Explain the importance of his realization.
“…You don’t feel anything and we feel too violently.” Ponyboy’s
conclusion illustrates how these two groups are different: the greasers
tend to react too much in difficult situations. However, even if the two
groups are very different on the outside, they are all the same on the
inside; they all have fears, joys sorrows, etc.
12. Who comes looking for Cherry and Marcia? How do the girls react?
Randy and Bob, along with a few of their friends. Cherry wants everyone
act normally: that way, their boyfriends might not recognize them.
13. Why weren’t the girls with them in the first place? What does this tell
you about Cherry’s character?
They were drunk. Through her behaviour, Cherry demonstrates that she
is a responsible, young woman who has enough intelligence to avoid
trouble.
14. Compare and contrast Cherry and Marcia: list the points they have
in common and the ones thy do not.
Similarities: Socials who hang around with the same crowd.
Differences: Whereas Cherry is outspoken, and stands up for her beliefs,
Marcia is extremely superficial: she rarely stands up for herself.
15. Explain the circumstances leading to Ponyboy running away from home.
How would you have reacted?
He runs away from home after his brother Darry hit him during an argument.
Chapter 4
16. Complete a brief summary of the important events of this chapter
(8-10 lines)
Ponyboy and Johnny walk to the park. There, they see a blue mustang
with five socs in it pull up. Bob and Randy get out of the car. They want
to beat up Ponyboy and Johnny for picking up their girlfriends. Bob tells
David to drown Ponyboy. Johnny takes out his switchblade and stabs
Bob to death. The socs run away, and Ponyboy regains full
consciousness. Ponyboy gets sick and Johnny tells Ponyboy about the
stabbing. Both of the boys go to Buck Merril’s place to find Dally who
helps them by giving them some money and a gun. Dally tells them
where to hide and how to get there. Johnny and Ponyboy get to their
destination by jumping a train and walking the rest of the way. When
they reach the hideaway, an old church, they go to sleep.
Chapter 5
17. a) Why does Ponyboy panic not long after he wakes up?
He wakes up and realizes that Johnny is gone and that he is all alone.
b) What calms him down?
He reads Johnny’s note, explaining that he had left to go get supplies.
18. What suggestion does Johnny give Ponyboy that will enable them to
hide better?
Johnny suggests that he and Ponyboy cut their hair and that Ponyboy
should bleach his.
19. How long do they remain hidden?
They remained hidden approximately 5 days.
20. What is Johnny’s attitude towards Dally Winston?
Johnny respects Dally, remembering the time Dally had taken responsibility
for breaking a school window: something Two-Bit had done. He finds Dally
“gallant” for doing that.
21. Ponyboy remembers a poem by Robert Frost he once heard. Write it
down and try to find the meaning behind it.
“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.”
The meaning behind the poem is that beautiful things in life unfortunately
do not always stay that way forever. There is a cycle which is unavoidable.
The poem symbolizes the loss of childhood innocence; a child’s growing
up.
22. What feelings are portrayed in Sodapop’s letter to Ponyboy? What
values can you find in it? Justify.
Sodapop’s letter to Ponyboy shows that he values family, love, and honesty.
It is clear that Darry and Sodapop are extremely worried about their brother,
and that they even want him to turn himself in.
23. Where does Dally take Ponyboy and Johnny?
He takes them to Dairy Queen in town for some lunch.
24. Ponyboy and Johnny find out that someone is helping the greasers.
Who is it?
Ponyboy and Johnny find out that Cherry Valance is helping the greasers.
Chapter 6
25. Complete a brief summary of the important events in this chapter.
(8-10 lines).
Johnny and Ponyboy are surprised that Cherry Valance is helping the
greasers. Dally tells them that Cherry took a big risk to help them out,
especially since Bob Sheldon was her boyfriend. Johnny decides that
he and Ponyboy should go back and turn themselves in. He says he
won’t involve Dally. We find out that Johnny still cares a great deal
about what his parents think of him.
They see the church is on fire, so they rush in and rescue children who
were trapped inside. Dally goes back in to save Johnny after Johnny
pushes Ponyboy out of the church. While in the waiting room of the
hospital, Pony sees his brothers and realizes that Darry is crying.
Chapter 7
26. Explain how Darry and Sodapop keep the reporters away from Ponyboy.
Darry uses brute force while Sodapop uses cunning. Darry forcefully tells the
reporters that Ponyboy wasn’t in any shape to talk to reporters, while Sodapop
distracted them by clowning around: he grabbed one guy’s hat and another’s
camera and walked around interviewing the nurses and mimicking the TV
reporters.
27. What did the boys have to do to be able to see Johnny and Dally?
They had to convince the doctor that they were the only family Johnny and
Dally had.
28. Describe Johnny’s and Dally’s physical conditions.
Dally: Badly burned arm which would be scarred for the rest of his life, but he
would have full use of it in two weeks; he would be OK.
Johnny: In critical condition; his back was broken; he was in severe shock
and suffering from third-degree burns.
29. Explain why the author makes the description of the ride home so short.
Ponyboy, the narrator, fell asleep in the car. Since the novel is from his point
of view, he can’t see anything while he’s asleep.
30. What do the boys prefer for breakfast?
The boys like eggs (Ponyboy likes them hard; Darry in a bacon and tomato
sandwich; Sodapop with grape jelly), chocolate cake (which is what they all
prefer), chocolate milk ) Pony and Soda, and black coffee (Darry).
31. Who comes to visit? Why isn’t the door locked?
Two-Bit and Steve come to visit. The front door is always unlocked in case
one of the boys needs a place to stay or cool off after and argument with his
parents.
32. Why do the greasers enjoy reading about themselves in the newspapers?
For the first time, they are portrayed as heroes instead of juvenile delinquents.
They are finally, for a brief moment, as important as the socs in the eyes of
society.
33. What is Ponyboy’s dream and why does it scare Darry?
Ponyboy dreams of the night of his parents funeral. It scares Darry because
the dreams continued for several weeks.
34. Why did Sodapop and Sandy break up?
Sandy was pregnant. Sodapop offered to marry her, but her parents sent her
to Florida to live with her grandmother so she could have the baby away from
him. Unwed mothers weren’t accepted back then.
35. Why does Ponyboy want Two-bit to keep quiet about his physical condition?
Ponyboy doesn’t want Darry to know he feels sick and weak because he
doesn’t want to miss the rumble.
36. Describe the nature of Ponyboy’s encounter with Randy.
Out of earshot of the others, Ponyboy and Randy discuss the events surrounding
Bob’s death and the fire at the church. He sees that Randy feels a lot of pain
after the death of his friend.
37. What does Ponyboy finally fully understand?
Ponyboy understands, through Randy, that socs aren’t as superficial as he first
thought: that they can be caring and thoughtful individuals. He now believes
that the other guy (Randy) “was human too”. He realizes that everyone is made
up of the same human fabric.
Chapter 8
38. Why did the doctor finally let Ponyboy and Two-Bit in to see Johnny?
Johnny, who was dying, had asked to see them. Also, the doctor knew that
Johnny wouldn’t last very long so the added stress wouldn’t matter much.
39. What important “event” is to be held that night?
The rumble is the important event to be held that night.
40. Find a simile on page 106/123?
The simile is “He was as pale as the pillow”.
41. What does Johnny tell Ponyboy about dying?
He’s too young; he doesn’t want to die. However, he doesn’t regret what he’s
done since his life, shot though it may be, now has meaning.
42. How does Johnny react when his mother goes to visit him in the hospital?
Why?
Johnny does not want to see his mother: he believes that she’s only come to
tell him about all the trouble he’s caused his parents, and about how happy
they’ll be when he dies He has finally realized that his mother is a hypocrite
and that it isn’t his fault. He now refuses to be the scared child. He knows
that he will not get his mother’s love and therefore stops trying.
43. Find an antithesis on page 108/123.
The antithesis is “Johnny-cake’s eyes were fearful and sensitive; hers were
cheap and hard”.
44. How does Johnny’s mother react when she sees Ponyboy and Two-Bit?
She gave them a look of hatred and accused them of being responsible for
putting Johnny in the hospital.
45. Say what figure of speech is found in the following sentence: “He kept it
razor-sharp”. (page 110/125)
This is a metaphor.
46. What does Two-Bit give Dally before leaving the hospital? Why?
Two-Bit gave Dally his ten inch-long switchblade because Dally wanted to be
sure to win the fight that very same night. He readily gives Dally his knife
because he knows Dally would never ask for it unless it was extremely
important. Dally knows how much Two-Bit loves his knife.
47. Why won’t Cherry go see Johnny in the hospital?
Cherry holds Johnny responsible for Bob’s death. She can’t stand to look at
him. She also is still influenced by the differences separating the greasers
and the socs.
48. What reason does Cherry give for helping Ponyboy?
She tells Ponyboy that she helped him because she liked him and he was a
nice kid.
Chapter 9
49. Briefly summarize the events leading up to the rumble, as well as its
outcome.
The boys prepare in anticipation for the rumble. Darry allows Ponyboy to
participate. Dally shows up. The rumble takes place, and the greasers
eventually win. Ponyboy was beaten up quite badly, although he and Dally
still head to the hospital to go see Johnny.
50. What advice does Dally give Ponyboy on the way to the hospital?
Dally tells Ponyboy that he should act tough like him, instead of being soft
like Johnny: that way, he won’t get hurt.
51. As Johnny dies, he tells Ponyboy to “Stay gold”. Explain the
significance of this statement.
When Johnny tells Ponyboy to “stay gold”, he is referring to Robert Frost’s
poem which seems to have had a profound effect on the boys. “Stay gold”
means stay the way you are: don’t change.
Chapter 10
52. Briefly summarize the important events of this chapter (8-10 lines)
Ponyboy walks home, wandering around for hours before he gets a ride home.
The gang is there. He tells them that Johnny is dead. They get a phone call
telling them that Dally has just robbed a liquor store and that the police is after
him. They rush to the vacant lot and find Dally being shot by the cops. This is
exactly what Dally wanted: he was threatening the cops with an empty gun.
Ponyboy faints. When he wakes up, he finds out de’s been asleep for three
days.
Chapter 11
53. Briefly summarize the important events of this chapter (8-10 lines)
Ponyboy stays in bed for a week in order to recuperate from the attack at the
rumble. Randy visits him. As they talk, Ponyboy hallucinates and says that
he was the one who killed Bob, not Johnny. Randy leaves.
Chapter 12
54. What is the outcome of the trial?
Ponyboy is acquitted and Darry got to keep custody of his brothers.
55. Explain how Ponyboy has changed.
After Johnny and Dally die, Ponyboy becomes careless, clumsy, and cold.
Two-Bit tells him not to become like Dally after he attacks some socs with a
broken bottle. At school, Ponyboy’s grades begin to slip.
56. What does Ponyboy’s English teacher suggest Ponyboy do to improve
his grade?
Mr. Syme, Ponyboy’s English teacher, suggests that Ponyboy write an essay
in an attempt to help get his grade up.
57. What information regarding Sandy does Darry tell Ponyboy?
Darry tells Ponyboy that Soda’s burst of emotions are due to the fact that he
(Soda) has received the letter that he wrote Sandy returned unopened. Soda
wasn’t the father of Sandy’s baby. He knew this and had offered to marry her
anyway. He had really loved her.
58. What does Ponyboy learn as he reads Johnny’s letter?
Ponyboy reads a letter written by Johnny which is both wise and peaceful
for a boy his age. It shows the maturity acquired by Johnny when he found
out he was dying.
59. How does this letter inspire Ponyboy?
This letter inspires Ponyboy to write his essay on what he has just lived.
60. Explain the significance of the very last sentence of this novel.
The very last sentence of the novel is quite significant because it is also the
very first sentence of the novel. We find out that this is a circular novel: the
end is actually the beginning.