The Outsiders Analysis Questions

Please choose one of the following prompts and discuss it in a fully-developed paragraph that uses evidence from the novel to illustrate your ideas. Explain your reasoning completely, and provide at least two meaningful quotations from the novel to illustrate your ideas. Though your paragraph does not need to follow the exact format that we have been practicing lately, you still need to do each of these things well in your paragraph:

    1. before each quotation, introduce the passage smoothly, making clear its context (speaker & situation),
    2. properly cite the quotation's page number parenthetically afterwards, and
    3. explain what the passage shows us or what we can infer from the evidence. 



THREE TOPICS

Topic 1 - Ponyboy's Ultimate Conflict 

In the movie version of The Outsiders, most events from Chapters 10-12 were cut from the story. In fact, the only two events from Chapters 10-12 that are included in the movie are (1) Dally's death and (2) Ponyboy's finding and reading of Johnny's letter. All other events from Chapters 10-12 were cut from the movie version of the story. Therefore, the movie does not include these important events: Ponyboy's denial of Johnny's death, Ponyboy's second talk with Randy (at Ponyboy's home), Ponyboy's near-violent confrontation with Socs outside a store one day (which includes him breaking a soda bottle and threatening others with it), Ponyboy's conversation with Sodapop and Darry about why they need to stick together, Ponyboy's phone-call to his English teacher, etc..

In the aftermath of Johnny's and Dally's deaths, what seems to be Ponyboy's main conflict, and how is this conflict solved meaningfully by the novel's end?

Consider these ideas and details:

    • Which of the important events in these chapters shows us Ponyboy's main conflict or illustrates how he struggles to solve this conflict? Is Ponyboy's conflict internal, external, or both?
    • Which characters do, say, or even write something that helps Ponyboy solve this struggle and know how to move on with his life? (For example, consider what might have happened to Ponyboy if he had never found Johnny's letter. Who else tells Ponyboy something meaningful in the last few chapters that makes a difference in his life?) Consider Two-Bit, Darry, Sodapop, and even Johnny himself.

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Topic 2 - Johnny Cade as "Savior" or "Christ-Figure"

"Went to get supplies. Be back soon. J.C." (Hinton 69)

In many stories throughout history, there is a character who plays the role of a "savior" or a “Christ-figure”—i.e., a character who sacrifices herself or himself in order to save the good and innocent and who, sometimes, tries to redeem the corrupt and the guilty.  (Additionally, many such stories also involve a character who acts as a “prophet” by trying to bring to people the “truth” about what is important in life and how they should live their lives.) 

How does Johnny Cade play the role of a "savior" or "Christ-figure" in The Outsiders, and how do Johnny's actions and words contribute meaningfully to the novel's impact? 

Consider these ideas and details:

    • Whom does Johnny literally save in the story, and how does Johnny do so?
    • Why is Johnny's letter to Ponyboy so important at the end of the story? In what ways does Johnny "save" Ponyboy through this letter? (Or, what might have happened to Ponyboy if Ponyboy had never found Johnny's letter?) 
    • Also, what does Johnny say about Dally in his letter, and why is Dally's death particularly meaningful in light of these comments?  
    • Why does Johnny's letter motivate Ponyboy to write this story? What seems to be Ponyboy's purpose as a writer in telling this story, and how does his purpose relate to Johnny's letter?

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Topic 3 - Dally as Foil Character

“If we don’t have each other, we don’t have anything. If you don’t have anything, you end up like Dallas . . . and I don’t mean dead, either. I mean like he was before. And that’s worse than dead.” (Hinton 176)

foil character is a person whose traits and qualities contrast meaningfully with those of another character. Often, a writer will use a minor character as a foil to emphasize the significant traits of the main character. 

In what ways is Dallas Winston a foil character for Johnny Cade (and possibly for Ponyboy too, if you notice the connections), and how does Dally's role in the story contribute meaningfully to the novel's impact? 

Consider these ideas and details:

    • What does Dally have in common with Johnny? How are these two characters similar in certain important ways?
    • Given the two characters' similarities and problems, what are the most meaningful differences between Johnny and Dally, and why are these differences meaningful?
    • Since both Johnny and Dally die near the end of the story, how are the manner and meanings of their deaths quite different, and what does this contrast add to your understanding of Dally and of the larger story? 
    • Note both what Johnny tells Ponyboy about Dally in his letter (178-179) and what Sodapop tells his brothers about Dally (176). What does Dally seem to lack that actually makes him less strong and less able to survive in the world than his friends and fellow greasers?
Last modified: Tuesday, September 6, 2016, 12:57 PM