The Outsiders (9-2) (9-3)
Discussion
Chapter 1
1) What did the narrator think about?
2) Why does he start talking about his eyes?
3) What does this reflect about his personality?
5) What did seeing movies by himself produce? Can you relate to this?
6) Who is Soda Pop? Who is Darry?
7) Why does Ponyboy feel lonely?
8) How does he get along with his brothers and sisters? What does this reflect about himself?
9) Describe what a Greaser is.
10) What happened to his parents?
11) What is the main difference between a Greaser and a Soc? How does this relate to our lives socially?
12) “He’s smart, but he doesn’t use his head” Who said this? What does this mean?
13) What happens when he sees the red Corvair?
14) Describe how he was surrounded, what happened to him and how he got rescued.
15) Describe Darry and Soda
16) What did the Greasers do with the Socs?
17) Who is Steve Randle?
18) Describe Two-Butt.
19) How is the warfare displayed between social classes? How is this defined in our society? Is there any
warfare or discrimination?
20) What is a rumble? Why was it so tough to beat the Socs?
21) Describe Johnny’s qualities?
22) How is cigarette used perceived in this era? Why is it so normal for adolescents to participate in
cigarette use socially? Why is it socially accepted?
23) What does the word “Tough” mean? What does the word “Tuff” mean?
24) Who were the girls who were attracted to the Greasers?
25) When Darry hollered at Ponyboy, who defends him?
Chapter 2
1) Where are they off to? What did they do to bug the people around them?
2) Where do they hang out? How does their social class define where they visit? How does your social
class define the places you visit with your family?
3) What is “The Fuzz”?
4) How was Dally a lawbreaker? What was happening to him at the drive-in? How did the girls react to
him?
5) How does the Soc girl react to Ponyboy?
6) Sherry “Cherry” Valance gives him a compliment. What was it?
7) What did Ponyboy hate saying about Soda?
8) How did Dally take Johnny’s chivalrous attitude?
9) Was Ponyboy’s approach to the girls more effective?
10) “If it’s distrustful, it’s no longer a gang, it’s a pack” What does this mean? What is the difference
between a gang and a pack?
11) How were the Soc girls more classy than greaser girls? What did this make Ponyboy think about
Socs?
12) What is Two-bit good at? Why is he inconsiderate?
13) What second rule do Greasers follow besides sticking together?
14) Why are they so traumatized by the Socs?
15) How did they come to care about the opposite sex?
16) What had happened to Johnny that left him traumatized every time he saw a mustang?
Chapter 3
1) How did the girls feel getting into their car?
2) How can money separate people? Does Cherry think this is right?
3) What are some personality traits that defined Socs? Are these stereotypes?
4) Who arrives at the scene all of a sudden? How do the Greasers and the girls react? What do the girls
do to prevent violence?
5) What does Ponyboy think about Darry?
6) “Like it, or lump it” – How does this quote reveal the attitude the Greasers have towards life?
7) Why do the Socs call the greasers Bums? What happens when the vehicle arrives? Describe the scene
and what the girls eventually end up doing.
8) What was Ponyboy’s internal conflict in this precise moment?
9) Who’s parents were dead?
10) How does Darry react when they boys get home late?
11) Why was Darry so frustrated?
12) What did Sherry say when she left? Who was she apparently going to fall in love with?
13) What was their plan before leaving the house?
14) Did things actually get better for the boys?
Chapter 4
1) What was circling the park on this cold day?
2) What were they smoking? How did they react to the vehicle approaching?
3) Why are they here to fight them?
4) “Next time you get a broad, pick your own kind” What is the Soc implying? Why do you think they are
so bothered with Ponyboy’s actions?
5) Who refers to who with a racial slur? How can a racial slur be more harmful than an actual insult?
6) What did Ponyboy do that incited a violent reaction?
7) What happened at the fountain?
8) What did Johnny do to Bob “the handsome Soc”?
9) How did the Socs react when Johnny stabbed him?
10) How did Ponyboy react to this event?
11) What did they think was going to solve their problem?
12) Where do they go find Dally?
13)Who was Buck Merrill? Describe him, why was he easy to manipulate?
14)When Dally receives the news, Ponyboy is wondering what about him?
15) What did Dally give them?
16) What could have been so problematic about spreading the news to Darry and Sodapop?
17) Where does he tell them to go and stay?
18) What happened to Johnny when the word murder was said?
19) What are they doing on the train? What is this called? Is this legal? freighthopping
20) What is wrong with their physical appearance and clothing?
21) What is Ponyboy worried about now?
22) What did the church remind Ponyboy of? Describe this event.
23) Why did this place give him the chills? What is a premonition?
Chapter 5
1) Where did Johnny go?
2) What was Ponyboy thinking when he got up?
3) What does he begin to think about while he was with his friends?
4) They have a distinct whistle, what is a gang sign? How do they identify gangs or groups of people”?
5) What did Ponyboy get overly excited about when Johnny brings in the package?
6) Why are they modifying their physical appearance? What do they do to do this?
7) How did Ponyboy feel about his new hair-do? Is he happy with it?
8) How are they both feeling after their makeover?
9) Describe Johnny’s internal conflict now. How is his trouble affecting him?
10) How is crying seen in boys? Would you cry in a situation like this?
11) How was Johnny doing in school? Why was he unsuccessful?
12) In the past, Dally had been in jail already. He had taken a sentence for whom and for what?
13) Interpret the poem written by Robert Frost. Why does this impress Ponyboy?
14) Who appreciates sceneries more than others do? Do you know anyone who does?
15) What is the difference between Pony boy and his brothers?
16) Ponyboy was addicted to what? What can’t you let go of?
17) Who gave him a letter? Who was most affected by Ponyboy’s actions? Does he feel blame for it?
18) Are they drawing the media’s attention for their actions?
19) How did the state of affairs change back home?
20) Who is their spy?
Chapter 6
1) How did Johnny react to the news?
2) What did Sherry do when Two Bit was jumped?
3) What gave Ponyboy the creeps?
4) Who was Sherry related to?
5) Why were they impressed by the Socs?
6) Does Ponyboy like to hunt? What does this reveal about his sensibilities?
7) Why was changing his appearance/butts a good idea?
8) What does Johnny suggest? Why do you think he is doing so?
9) What idea is Johnny planning? Do you think it’s the best choice?
10) What do Johnny’s parent’s think of him/butts?
11) What personality traits differentiate Dally and Johnny in terms of their parents?
12) What does Dally transmit when Johnny brings his ideas to light?
13) Why is there a moment of awkward silence?
14) What does Dally tell Johnny about Jail?
15) What happened to the church? What might this cause?
16) What does Johnny ask Dally?
17) What happened inside the church?
18) What did the boys end up doing? Why are they not scared?
19) How was Johnny feeling as he was rescuing the children? Is he redeeming himself?
20) How does Ponyboy rescue the last boy? What happened to the church?
21) How did the sirens confuse Ponyboy on where they were going?
22) Why did Dally hit him on the back? Where did they wake up?
23) How was Jerry surprised by knowing they were Greasers? Did he expect this at all from them?
24) Did the boys know they were too young too smoke? How is this ignorant?
25) What was the first thing Soda told Ponyboy? What did he do when he saw him?
26)How was Darry feeling when he saw the boys?
27) What was Darry’s fear? What does this make Ponyboy realize?
Chapter 7
1) How are the boys interacting with the reporters?
2) What is the status on Johnny’s back? What does this make him?
3) What do the papers portray them as on the next day?
4) What does the paper also say on their criminal status?
5) What recurring dream is ponyboy having? How does this affect him?
6) What happened between Sandy and Sodapop? Where did she end up?
7) What is Ponyboy feeling once he’s back at the Tasty Freeze and he sees the Socs?
8) What does the Social tell him about the rescue? What are they warned with before rumbling?
9) Randy has a chat with Ponyboy about Bob, What conclusion does he make about Socs? And what
does he see in him that he never thought he would see before?
10) They both don’t expect something to happen when Ponyboy was a Greaser and Randy was a Soc,
what are the aspects that surprise each other?
11) What is so important about the brother’s staying together now? Why does the Curtis family have to
stick tight in a moment like this?
12) Why does family become such an important aid back home?
Chapter 8
1) On the next day, who visits whom at the hospital?
2) What does Johnny request Ponyboy finish?
3) J’s mother shows up, what is her personality like?
4) Does Johnny want to see her?
5) Whom does she blame for his condition? What does Two Bit do in response to this?
6) Dally is recuperating in the hospital, and Ponyboy feels how for the very first time with him?
7) Who came to talk to Dally about the Rumble? What does Two Bit give Dally?
8) Did he ask why he needed it? Why?
9) Ponyboy and Two bit see whom? What does she tell them about the rumble?
10) Why can’t Sherry see Johnny?
11) What does Ponyboy call Sherry? Does he regret this?
12) What does he ask her about the sunset? What break in their social division is Ponyboy implying?
13) What do the Greaser’s provide Johnny in comparison to his actual family?
14) Johnny’s closeness to death grants him another perspective, if you were close to dying how would
your perspective on life be?
15) People are appreciated by Ponyboy as what now? Why is everyone important?
16) To what social classes do the cycles of life and death apply?
17) This event ironically occurs when.
Chapter 9
1) How is Ponyboy feeling before the rumble?
2) What do they do to get ready for the rumble?
3) What does he feel as he is around the other Greasers? How can this be a transformation?
4) How many Socs fight how many Greasers?
5) Who wins the fight?
6) A police officer stops the character. What occurs to them?
7) What do they do on their way to the hospital?
8) What traumatic event happens in this chapter?
9) How does Dally react to this event?
10) Money can make rivals out of friends. How can you observe this in this chapter?
11) How does victory make them feel in this rumble? Does it fulfill them as it thought it would?
12) How do the Greasers prepare for the rumble?
Chapter 10
1) What does Ponyboy do once Johnny dies?
2) What happened to his head? What does he tell the man?
3) Where does Ponyboy reveal the news about Johnny and Dally? How is Dally at this very moment?
4) Dally calls, what did he do? What happened to him as he was escaping?
5) What happens as he unloads the gun?
6) Ponyboy figures out that Dally wanted to do something. What is it? Why?
7) What caused Ponyboy to suffer a concussion?
8) How can the rumble be a moral lesson?
9) What responsibility does each gang member have? What do they need to do thinking about the other
gang?
10) Why do you think Ponyboy is traumatized to his highest level?
11) To be or not to be?
Chapter 11
1) What are Ponyboy’s thoughts at the beginning of this chapter? What makes him reminisce?
2) What picture is he looking at know? Why is this character so important?
3) Why does he analyze Cherry Valance’s perspective on this character?
4) Why does Cherry “understand”?
5) What did he see as he was looking at his picture?
6) Who visited Ponyboy? Why did he come to visit him?
7) Where are they off to on the next day?
8) Why is this the first time he had felt anything like this in a long time?
9) What is uncertain about Ponyboy’s future?
10) Why is this Social worried about Ponyboy?
11) Was he trying to take the blame for the event? How does Randy resist this?
12) What does Darry threaten the Soc with?
13) What does him calling Ponyboy little buddy make him feel?
Chapter 12
1) Did Ponyboy speak much at the hearing?
2) What does the judge do?
3) How does Ponyboy feel after being acquitted from the crime?
4) What does his English teacher encourage him to do?
5) What is surprising about Ponyboy’s reaction as he sees Soc’s again?
6) The boys warn him to not act like who?
7) What is troubling soda pop about Sandy? What are they arguing about at home?
8) Why do they promise to stop fighting one another?
9) The boys run back home. What is it that inspires him to write his story?
10) To be or not to be?
11) Is pony sane?