APPLICATION - CHARACTERS - DO THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY LEARN ABOUT LIFE WHICH ARE TRUE AND IMPORTANT?
Yes they did, especially Randy and Cherry.
RANDY ADDERSON - After the death of his best friend Bob, Randy told Ponyboy that the fighting between the Socs and the Greasers is pointless and terrible. Randy refuses to fight in the big rumble because "Greasers will still be Greasers and Socs will still be Socs." He regrets ever being involved with any of the violence because of the impact his actions had on his own family.
CHERRY VALANCE - Cherry learnt that no matter how rich or how poor, no matter how u live and where u grew up, at the end of the day, the Greasers and the Socs are breathing the same air and looking at the same sunset from the West and East.
ANALYSIS - PLOT - WHAT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT DOES THE PROTAGONIST GO THROUGH?
Ponyboy's character changed from the beginning to the end a lot. At the beginning he was the shy little kid of the group but he ended up being really brave. This occurred when he acted as a hero and helped saving the kids and how could overcome his problems.
Ponyboy's point of view about others also changed from many life experiences. At the beginning, he lacks the perspective to understand the environment around him. For example, Ponyboy thought that Darry hates him because he is always giving Ponyboy a hard time about his lack of common sense, and his grades. At the end, with the help of friends, Ponyboy was able to see that Darry treats him the way he does out of love and concern.
The last thing that changed Ponyboy character was from watching 2 good friends die right in front of him. This made him became meaner, angrier, sadder and more confused about life. For example, when the 3 Socs came to attack Ponyboy, he acted tough, busted the end of the glass bottle and scared them away.
SYNTHESIS - THEMES - DOES THE TITLE OF THE STORY HELP TO TIE THE STORY TOGETHER? HOW?
The title of the story help to tie the story together because an outsider sees things differently than someone who is directly involved in a way of life. Someone who always feels like an outsider may conclude that life is unfair. In the novel, many of the characters felt like outsiders and believed that life isn't fair to them. In the book, there were characters that were accepted by the society and characters that were not accepted. The East Side greasers are "outsiders" to the West side Socs.. The Socs are accepted in society. They are the upper class, the people with the most power. The Greasers are the complete opposite. They are the lowest of the lower class, almost to the point of being homeless and in Society, they're the "Outsiders".
EVALUATE - CHARACTERS - WHO WAS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?
My favourite character was Johnny because he was the most bravest and the most heroic person in the story. Poor Johnny has a really rough life. He is like a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers. I like how he's such a shy and innocent character. Even though Johnny had unpleasant role models, he's tried to stand up and be a good person. We never see him being mean or mistreating others. I also think he’s very sweet and kind. I love his personality, I love how he stood out among the other characters and he’s probably the one that I remember most in the book.
DIVERGENCE - THEMES - HOW ELSE COULD THE BOOK HAVE ENDED?
The outsider is a great book. All credit for the characters and everything in the story goes to S.E. Hinton. It was a really interesting book and the ending was unexpected, but I think Ponyboy and Johnny deserve a happy ending.The book could have ended happily with Johnny and Dally alive. Dally will change his behaviour and the way he lives after Johnny’s near-death experience. Dally will take the role of both of his parents, he will make sure that Johnny was never alone and always in his protection. The book also could have ended with the Socs and the Greasers being united. One of the reasons why the Socs and the Greasers dislike each other is because they do not understand each other. Each group cannot seem to relate at all to the other group, so there is fear and hatred there. People tend to dislike what they do not understand. So at the end, it could have ended with the Socs and the Greasers being friendly. They will attempt to understand each other’s problems and situation and will help out. They will become one big group where fears, hatred and classes means nothing.
INTUITION - CHARACTERS - WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION ABOUT THE PERSONALITY OF THE PROTAGONIST CORRECT?
The answer is no. A protagonist is considered the most important character in a story. Typically it is the actions of the protagonist that drive the plot and usually it is the protagonist who changes based on what happens in the story. Throughout the book "The Outsiders" Ponyboy appears to be the protagonist and the main character because the movie starts and ends with him. In addition, the narrative follows Ponyboy through most of the story. Like every protagonist, my first impression about Ponyboy is that that he's hero, the star, the most valiant, the supporter and the person who takes the lead. But certainly it isn't his action which drive the plot. It is Johnny's actions that drove the plot. He stood up to Dally to protect Cherry, set up the friendship with the Soc girls that helped motivate the attack in the playground. It is Johnny who killed Bob to protect Ponyboy, and it is Johnny who joins Ponyboy in the burning church to save the children. It is Johnny's death that drove Dally to despair. It is Johnny who teaches Ponyboy the main lesson of the book. Johnny is as much the protagonist and the one that fits with the impression that i had with Ponyboy.
EMOTION - PLOT - WHAT WAS THE STRONGEST EMOTION YOU FELT WHEN YOU READ THE STORY? WHY?
Sorrow was the strongest emotion that i felt that when i read the story because i think that Johnny is a pretty sad character all along, and his death definitely brings sorrow into my heart. I felt sorrow when Ponyboy was reading Johnny's letter, when Dally cried and begged Johnny not to die, and when Dally yelled out Ponyboy's name while he was dying because i could sympathize them and feel exactly how they were feeling. i felt sorrow and incomplete because of the fact that i know nothing will significantly change and also knowing it is not a happy ending . I was also disappointed to know that the characters will always be what society expects them to be. Socs will be Socs and Greasers will be Greasers. Nothing really changes apart from Ponyboy's attitudes and loss.
ETHICS - PLOT - ARE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS PLACED IN SITUATIONS WHICH MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT?
Yes they are, especially Johnny and Dallas. Johnny is only 16 years old, but had already been beaten down by the cruelty of life. Johnny had been severely beaten by a group of Socs. This beating put him almost over the edge; in fact, the Socs scared him so much that he even carried a switchblade in his pocket. He swore that he would kill the next person that jumps him. Johnny's parents abuse him both physically and verbally, and Johnny often choose to go anywhere but home. His gang was his family. If it hadn't been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are. For this reason, on the night after the Nightly Double when the Socs came to beat Ponyboy and him up, Johnny's mind got muddled and mistakenly killed Bob. It was a difficult situation for him to know what is right or wrong because all he knows is that he hates the Socs and he doesn't want his friend killed.
The other character is Dallas. Dallas is living proof that one can survive without parents or family. Johnny idolizes him. Johnny follows the footsteps of his hero Dally. The relationship between these two boys is very interdependent. Dally needs Johnny as much as Johnny needs Dally. After the death of Johnny, Dallas was devastated and suffered uncontrollably because Johnny was the only thing that Dally loved. For this reason, he committed suicide because he was placed in a situation which make it difficult to know what is right.
AESTHETICS - CHARACTERS - WHO WAS THE MOST COLOURFUL CHARACTER IN THE STORY?
The most colourful character in the story is Two Bit Matthew. Two Bit, whose real name is Keith is the jokester in the gang and a wisecracking greaser who regularly shoplifts. He is the one who can never be serious, whether he's being arrested or whether he's likely to get into a fight. He is always drunk, he makes people laugh and has a very fun personality, along with lazy. He is often being teased for not having a job. He's always grinning, and he can never stop smarting off to the cops. He talks non-stop and has a smart comment about everything no matter whom he’s talking to. He is called Two-Bit because he always has to add in his "two bits".Two Bit Matthew also seems like a warm hearted guy.
