The Outsiders Ponyboy Curtis English Literature Essay

The narrator of the book The Outsiders was Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy is a fourteen years old teenage, who has long hair, greenish-gray eyes, and who is part of a gang called the greasers. Ponyboy describes the Greasers as poor and wild than their rival gang Socs (Socials) who were very high-class people, who loved to jump the Greasers. Ponyboy’s gang was called the Greasers because they put a lot of oil their hair. The Greasers were all tight like a family. Ponyboy was walking home from the movies and couldn’t think of anybody else except Paul Newman. Ponyboy mentions that he likes to go to the movies alone because he likes to get lost in the story. Ponyboy’s parents had died in a car accident and his two brothers were his guardians. Ponyboy had two brothers, Sodapop Curtis and Darry Curtis. Sodapop is sixteen-years old who is really handsome and looks like Ponyboy’s dad. Ponyboy likes Sodapop more than anybody, even more than his parents because Sodapop tries to understand him. On the other hand, Ponyboy’s oldest brother Darry who is twenty years old is always yelling at Ponyboy and treating him as if he is five and not fourteen. Ponyboy is allowed to stay under the custody of his brothers only if they behave.

As Ponyboy is two blocks away from home, he is getting really nervous as the Socs are following him in a Corvair. Ponyboy explains how brutally Johnny was beaten up by the Socs. The Socs surround Ponyboy and asks him if he needed a haircut. The Socs then attacked Ponyboy and held a knife against his throat. Ponyboy screams for help and Ponyboy’s brothers and the rest of the gang come running and scare the Socs away. Sodapop helps Ponyboy up while Darry gives him a lecture about walking alone. The Greasers were a team of the Curtis brothers, Steve Randle, Two-Bit Matthews, Dallas Winston, and Johnny Cade. Steve Randle was Sodapop’s best friend and thinks Ponyboy is a kid, which is why Ponyboy does not like him. Two-Bit Matthews was the comedian of the group. Dallas Winston (Dally) was the criminal of the group because he had committed a lot of crimes when he was in New York. Johnny Cade was a very depressed young teenager and the youngest member of the gang. When the Greasers reach home they make plans for the night. Sodapop and Steve were going out with upper-class Socs. Ponyboy and Johnny were going with Dally to the Nightly Double drive in theater tomorrow night. As Ponyboy is getting ready to go to sleep he wonders why the Socs hate the Greasers and how life is so unfair for the Greasers. Pony also doesn’t understand why Darry always goes so hard on him. Sodapop then gives Ponyboy some brother talk that cheers Ponyboy up.

Reflection of pages 00-26

The first few pages of the book has shocked me as the issues discussed in the book which was written in 1967 are still present in today’s date. Issues such as gang wars are still present today and have caused deaths of many young and old human beings. Moreover, when the Socs had attacked Ponyboy, the thoughts that were running through my mind all pointed to the death of Ponyboy. The sudden appear of Ponyboy’s gang was very unexpected and demonstrated a very tight relationship between Ponyboy and his gang members. When reading about Johnny’s life and seeing how young the character is, I could feel the emotions that he is going through. I personally felt that Johnny was a very kind and caring person who was innocent. When I see an innocent person is hurt I find a very miserable felling building up in my heart for that particular person. When reading about Two-Bit it made me wonder about Two-Bit’s funniest act. This section really pulled me right into the book and I think I am going to enjoy reading this book. S.E.Hintion had used brilliant style of writing to describe the characters and had chosen a great topic to write about.

Summary and Reflection of pages 27-44

Summary of pages 27-44

Ponyboy and Johnny had made plans to go to the Nightly Double drive-in theatre with Dally. They sneak into the theater because Dally hated doing things the legal way. After successfully getting into the theater they sit behind two female Socs. Dally then talks really dirty to the girls but Ponyboy apologies to the girls, while Dally has gone to buy coke. Ponyboy and Johnny introduce themselves to the Socs. We learn the name of the female Socs which were Sherri Valance (Cherry) and Marcia. Ponyboy thinks Cherry is very beautiful and likes her personality. When Dally returns with the coke he offers one to Cherry to calm her down. Dally then starts talking dirty to her again, so Cherry throws the coke on Dally’s face. When Dally tries to act flirty with Cherry, Johnny tells him to stop, which was very shocking because Dally was very dangerous and no one ever told him what to do. Dally had gotten really angry so he had just left. The girls then invite Ponyboy and Johnny to sit with them. As Two-Bit arrives we are notified that Dally had slashed the tires of Tim Sheppard’s car. Tim Sheppard was the leader of another Greasers gang.

Cherry was really impressed with Johnny’s courage to tell Dally off but she suspected something wrong in Johnny. Ponyboy then retells the tragic story of Johnny getting attacked by the Socs when Ponyboy and Cherry are getting popcorn. It was four months ago, when Johnny was in the football field practicing. Four Socs in a blue mustang had pulled up and then jumped Johnny. They beat him up so bad that it made Ponyboy puke. One Soc had worn a lot of rings that gave Johnny alot of cuts. This tragic event scared Johnny so much that he never walked alone and carried a switch blade with him. This tragic story made Cherry very upset with the gang wars and assured Ponyboy that not all the Socs were like that, just like how all Greasers are not like Dally. Cherry also mentions that Socs have their own troubles but Ponyboy couldn’t think of any troubles that the Socs could have since the Socs had all the luxurious possessions.

Reflection of pages 27-44

Dally’s way of not doing anything legally makes me wonder, what might have been the most illegal crime that he has committed? Seeing the buildup of Johnny’s personality, I feel that Johnny is going to get out his depression and return to his normal self. When Cherry had hit Dally in the face with the coke, I got this revenge feeling that I get ,when I get revenge on my friends and relatives. When reading about how Johnny was beaten up bad, I wonder what punishment the Socs had gotten when they beat Johnny up. I also wonder what Johnny is going to do to overcome his fear and how he is going to get revenge on the Socs, because if I was in the place of Johnny I would definitely complain to the police. By my perspective, I think Ponyboy shouldn’t have told Cherry about Johnny’s personal life since Ponyboy was telling Cherry (a complete stranger to Ponyboy) about Johnny’s personal life. When my friends tell me about their personal lives, I have never told anybody else about it because my friends have trusted me enough to tell me about their lives. As Ponyboy faced a lot of trouble thinking of the troubles the Socs could have, I had the same problem because when you have money and luxurious possessions I don’t see what troubles you have since money buys happiness.

Summary and Reflection of pages 45-60

Summary of pages 45-60

After the movie was over Two-Bit, Ponyboy and Johnny realized that Cherry and Marcia didn’t have a ride homes so Two-Bit convinced them to give them a ride home. As they were walking to the car Ponyboy realizes how Cherry is just like any other greaser. Cherry and Ponyboy were getting close as friends and they started talking about their personal lives. Ponyboy told Cherry about Sodapop’s horse, Mickey Mouse which he never told anyone about. Mickey Mouse belonged to a guy that Sodapop use to work for at the stables. Mickey Mouse only obeyed and loved Sodapop, and Sodapop loved him too. When the owner of the horse sold Mickey Mouse, Sodapop had cried all day long. Ponyboy was ten when Mickey Mouse was sold. Ponyboy had saved his allowance for a year thinking that he could buy Mickey Mouse back for Sodapop but he was unsuccessful.

As Cherry and Ponyboy are talking, Marcia spots a blue mustang coming towards them and we learn that it was their boyfriend’s car. As the blue mustang passed by, everyone just stood still and they were all terribly horrified. After the mustang had driven by, Cherry asked Ponyboy about Darry. Ponyboy tells Cherry that he is not a human and they don’t get along with each other. That shocked all of them especially Two-Bit and Johnny. Two-Bit and Johnny both supported Darry and said that Darry was nothing like Ponyboy’s description. Ponyboy explodes with anger and verbally bully’s Johnny about his life at home. Two-Bit slaps Ponyboy for treating Johnny that way. Ponyboy gets very emotional about life itself, how it is unfair and how the Socs have the advantage in life. As the group was walking, the blue mustang returns and stops this time. Two Socs get out this time and they were Cherry’s and Marcia’s boyfriends. Ponyboy notices that one of the soc was wearing three rings. Ponyboy then realizes that the blue mustang and the rings related to the Socs that attacked Johnny. Johnny is very frightened and the Greasers almost fought the Socs but Cherry broke up the fight. Cherry and Marcia then decide to leave with the Socs. As the Socs left Ponyboy and Johnny decide to lie under the star while Two-Bit wanders off to find a poker game. Ponyboy and Johnny then lie under the stars and wonder why life is so crucial for the Greasers. As Ponyboy is lying down he daydreams about living out in the country with his parents alive and with no gang wars and then he falls asleep. Johnny awakens Ponyboy at 2:00 AM and sends him home. When Ponyboy reaches home Darry was waiting for him and was very angry at him. They both get into a fight and Darry slaps him. It was the first time that anyone had ever hit Ponyboy from his family. Ponyboy gets really angry and runs out to where Johnny was as he feels rejected by Darry. When Ponyboy reaches the lot and wakes up Johnny, he tells him that they need to run away from home. Johnny calms Ponyboy down and tells him how lucky he is to have a family that accepts him. Ponyboy then decides to go home after cooling off by taking a walk around the park.

Reflection of pages 45-60

While reading this section of the book it occurs to me that the names that the author has chosen to represent certain characters are very original. Ponyboy and Sodapop were names that I would never name my children. Why has the author chosen very original names? The author could have chosen names that are present in the daily lives but why choose names that are original. In addition, in many stories there some connection between the name and the story but in this case there seems to be no connection at all. When Ponyboy and Johnny were laying down in the lot and looking at stars, it reminded me of my camping trip to Canadian Forces Base Borden. When Two-Bit slapped Ponyboy, I really felt that Ponyboy needed it because he was making fun of a young boy’s miserable childhood and his family who neglects him. Ponyboy’s actions on Johnny could make him more depressed and gives him more reason to hate his life. If I was present in that situation, I would have done the same thing as Two-Bit. When the Socs had passed by with their blue mustangs I had a very bad feeling that there was going to be a fight between the two groups. Cherry stopping the fight between the Greasers and the Socs really showed how Cherry was a caring person and how she could be trusted by the Greasers. Overall this section was full of action.

Summary and Reflection of pages 61-84

Summary of pages 61-84

As Ponyboy and Johnny are walking in the park, they hear a very loud car horn. Ponyboy and Johnny realize that it was from the blue mustang that they had approached earlier in the evening. Ponyboy and Johnny do realize that the Socs were drunk and they were outnumbered as five Socs had gotten out of the car. Two of the Socs were Cherry’s and Marcia’s boyfriend and were the same people who threatened to beat up Two-Bit, Ponyboy and Johnny earlier in the evening when they were walking with Cherry and Marcia. The Soc with the rings was Bob who was Cherry’s boyfriend and Randy was Marcia’s boyfriend. The Socs and Ponyboy talk trash about each other until Ponyboy didn’t have anything to say so he spat at the Socs. Then a Soc grabs Ponyboy, and then he pushes him into the fountain and he was holding his head under water. Ponyboy couldn’t breathe and tried to defend himself but he fails and gets very unconscious and faints.

When Ponyboy wakes up, the Socs had left and Johnny tells him that he killed Bob with his switch blade. When Ponyboy asked Johnny if he really had killed him he said “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you and they had a blade… They were gonna beat me up…?” (Hinton65). Ponyboy sees Johnny with blood stains and sees Bob lying in the fountain filled of blood. Ponyboy is panicking while Johnny is remaining calm. Ponyboy and Johnny then decide to go to Dally for advice as he might be able to help them. They go to Buck Merril’s (Dally’s rodeo partner) house as they know they can find him there. Dally helps Ponyboy and Johnny by giving them fifty dollars, some clothing for Ponyboy, a loaded gun, and a plan. Dally carefully instructs Ponyboy and Johnny through the plan. Dally tells Ponyboy and Johnny to take the train to Windrixville, then hike up the Jay mountain and stay in the abandoned church until he comes to get them. Ponyboy and Johnny follow Dally’s plan and make it to the abandoned church. Ponyboy and Johnny were exhausted by trip that they had fallen asleep as soon as they had reached the abandoned church.

As Ponyboy wakes up, he finds a note from Johnny saying that he had gone to the town to get supplies for their stay. When Johnny returns, he had bought food, cigarettes, playing cards, some hair dying products and a copy of Gone with the Wind book as he knew Ponyboy wanted to read it. Johnny insists Ponyboy to disguise themselves. Johnny dyes and cuts Pony’s long hair, and Ponyboy cuts Johnny’s hair. For the most of the next week, Ponyboy and Johnny play poker and read Gone with the Wind. Ponyboy feels that Johnny was really smart since he had never done well in school and people thought he was dumb but he still understood the ideas and concepts of the book.

Reflection of pages 61-84

At first, when the Socs were beating up Ponyboy I was thinking that Darry and Sodapop will arrive as Ponyboy had ran from the house. As time passed by, I started getting really nervous as no one was coming and making me think that the Socs were going to kill both Ponyboy and Johnny. Johnny killing Bob was very surprising because the events that had happened till now all stated that Johnny is scared of the Socs. Even though Ponyboy had made fun of Johnny earlier that night Johnny still has feelings for him and helps him out of that situation. That action scene had shown how the Greasers stick up for each other no matter what the situation is. This tight relation of the Greasers represents my relations with my family and I. My sister and I have our ups and downs but when the time comes we are always there for each other. The author had made Johnny murder Bob which is a huge crime but the author has used brilliant style of writing to convince the readers that it was okay for Johnny to kill Bob. When Dally helps Ponyboy and Johnny out it gets me very curious and anxious about the story and what is going to happen next. Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s week plans in the church remind me of the time my city had a blackout in Canada and how I had similar plans like Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s plan. This section of the book was full of surprises and has gotten me very anxious to find out what happens next.

Summary and Reflection of pages 85-107

Summary of Pages 85-107

The next morning, Ponyboy and Johnny wake up early than usual and decide to watch the sunset. Johnny admires how the sunset is beautiful and wishes if it can stay like that all day long. Pony replies by saying “Nothing gold can stay”(85) which was from a poem by Robert Frost and then recites the whole poem. On the fifth day, Dally arrives at the church and informs the boys that they were in a safe place since he told the police, that Ponyboy and Johnny had ran away to Texas when he was questioned. Dally had also brought a letter from Sodapop as Sodapop had figured out that Dally knew where Ponyboy and Johnny were hiding. Dally takes Johnny and Ponyboy to get some food and on the way there he tells them about the war that they started between the Greasers and the Socs. Dally also tells them about the Greasers new spy Cherry Valance. Dally also informs them about the rumble between the Greasers and the Socs that was going to happen in a day’s time.

Ponyboy and Johnny were both socked that Cherry the Soc was helping the Greasers. Dally also informs the boys that Cherry is ready to testify that the Socs were drunk and were looking for a fight and Johnny fought back in self-defense. Johnny, and Ponyboy both agree to turn themselves in to the police because they both wanted to go home. Johnny wanted to turn himself in because he didn’t want Ponyboy staying away from his brothers and because he had Cherry and Ponyboy to tell the police that he murdered Bob, because of self-defense so he wouldn’t get in that much trouble. Dally gets really angry at first, but then tries to convince Johnny not to do such a terrible thing as Dally knew how horrible jails were.

When Dally drives the boys back to the church they examine that the church is on fire. They also find school children on picnic. While Ponyboy and Johnny were getting details on the fire from an adult, a woman shouted that some kids were missing. Both Ponyboy and Johnny run and jump inside the church and started searching for the kids. They find the kids at the back of the church. The boys were handing the kids to Dally through the window. Dally warns Ponyboy and Johnny to get out of the church as the roof was about to collapse. Johnny pushes Ponyboy out of the window after they get the last kid out safely. The roof collapses and Ponyboy hears Johnny’s scream. Ponyboy is really terrified, and he tries to go back in the church to get Johnny but Dally club’s Ponyboy across the back and Ponyboy faints due to the injury.

Ponyboy wakes up and assumes that he is in a police car until Jerry Woods, the school teacher accompanying him tells him that he is an ambulance. Jerry also tells him that Johnny and Dally were in the ambulance behind them. Dally had badly burned his arm, while Johnny was in bad shape as he was hit by a piece of burning timer as it fell on his back. Ponyboy is examined at the hospital, and except for a few bruises and bad burns Ponyboy was fine. Ponyboy then tells Jerry the story of Bob’s murder while he was in the waiting room. Jerry also feels that Johnny killed Bob in self-defense. Darry and Sodapop arrive at the hospital. Sodapop is really happy to see Ponyboy gives him a hug while Darry stands back and cries. When Ponyboy looks at Darry he sees that he is crying, Ponyboy realizes that Darry cares about him after all. Ponyboy also finally realizes the Darry is going hard on him because he is afraid of losing another loved one after his parents.

Reflection of pages 85-107

This section starts off with an amazing quote by Ponyboy. “Nothing gold can stay”(85) was a brilliant quote explaining how life works today and how every amazing thing in life has an end to it. Cherry’s decision to help the Greasers really shocked me because Cherry was a Soc and Greasers were her rival gang. In addition, Johnny had killed her boyfriend Bob so why on earth would Cherry help the Greasers? That was really confusing as I don’t understand the relationship between Cherry and Bob. When Dally was trying to convince Johnny it was a bad idea for him to turn himself in made me think about how Dally’s personality has changed. Dally at first was shown to us as a criminal who doesn’t like doing things legally and a person who is very rude and uncaring. At present when Dally was giving advice to Johnny his personality seems to have been changed as he seems to be more caring about Johnny’s life. When Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally were saving the greasers, it surprised me because I thought they would run away and save their lives as a typical person would do. By my perspective I think what was running on the Greasers minds was that they should save the little children as they are innocent and have not seen the real world yet. When reading about how Darry was crying when he saw Ponyboy made me fell really happy as the two brothers finally had gotten along. That scene made me remember a phrase “I love it when a plan comes together”. This section of reading was full of actions and surprises leaving me in curiosity.

Summary and Reflection of pages 108-126

Summary of Pages 108-126

The Curtis brothers wait at the hospital to find out their friends conditions, while the reporters constantly kept asking questions. Darry gets really tired of the questions and convinces the reporters to leave. The doctors finally tell the Curtis brothers about Dally’s and Johnny’s medical condition. Dally’s one arm is severely burned and will recover quickly while Johnny is in critical condition as he had broken his back and is suffering from 3rd degree burns. If Johnny lives he will not be able to walk the rest of his life and he would have to stay at his parent’s house. The Curtis brothers couldn’t take the bad news and decided to head home.

The next morning, Ponyboy wakes up early and makes breakfast. Two-Bit and Steve drop by with the paper and tell Ponyboy that the newspaper has called him, Dally, and Johnny a hero for rescuing the kids. When Ponyboy reads the article, it mentions Ponyboy’s excellent performance in school. It also mentioned how Cherry and Randy both supported the Greasers saying that Johnny killed Bob in an act of self-defense. It also said that the state is going to charge Johnny for the murder and Ponyboy and Johnny will be both sent to court which meant that Ponyboy may be sent to live at the all boy’s home. While reading the article, Ponyboy remembers a reoccurring dream that he has very often that wakes him up in intense panic. Ponyboy also mentions that he has been having this dream from the day before his parent’s death and that he could never remember the dream. Ponyboy then gets really embarrassed and quickly changes the topic. Ponyboy then asked Sodapop about his girlfriend, Sandy and he learns that she got pregnant and had to go live with her grandmother as her parents didn’t want Sodapop and Sandy to get married. Sodapop and Darry go to work as Two-Bit and Ponyboy go to get a coke at Tasty-Freeze. At the Tasty-Freeze the blue mustang that was following Two-Bit and Ponyboy for the last eight block pulls up. The same Socs that jumped Ponyboy and Johnny hoped out. Randy, Marcia’s boyfriend comes over to Ponyboy. Two-Bit warns Randy that there is no fighting before the rumble as he agrees, but he only came over to talk. Randy asks Ponyboy why he saved the children and couldn’t believe that a Greaser could pull that off. Randy also tells Pony that he is not going to be at the rumble as he was tired of violence and he realizes that fighting doesn’t solve anything and it only hurts people. Ponyboy feels really good talking to Randy and realizes that things are rough all over the place and it is good that way.

Reflection of pages 108-126

When reading about Johnny’s injuries it had gotten me a bit worried about his life. If he recovers from the injuries, Johnny would have to stay at his parent’s house, where he is neglected and would die in more pain because of his parents. If he doesn’t recover from the injuries he is still going to die. I can not decide myself which would be a better option for Johnny as they are both painful. As Ponyboy mentions about his reoccurring dream it occurs to me that he has a connection between his dream and death and makes me more worried about Johnny’s death. Ponyboy had a dream a day before his parents death and he has gotten this dream again today. Seeing how Johnny is suffering from critical injuries, my prediction is that Johnny is going to die tomorrow which is getting me nervous to read about Johnny’s condition. We were notified that Sodapop’s girlfriend Sandy is pregnant and her father doesn’t want Sodapop and Sandy to get married. As per how Ponyboy and other Greasers have described Sodapop he seems to have a great personality and seems to be a very caring and loving guy. Why wouldn’t Sandy’s father let Sandy and Sodapop get married? The change in Randy’s character makes me wonder what other characters are we going to see a change in as many characters have changed since the start of the novel till now.

Summary and Reflection of pages 127-157

Summary of Pages 127-157

Ponyboy and Two-Bit go to visit Dally and Johnny at the hospital. As Ponyboy and Two-Bit find out the Johnny is going to die soon, Two-Bit runs to a store to buy Gone with the Wind book so Ponyboy could read it to Johnny. Johnny’s mother shows up to the hospital to visit him but he refuses to see her and he faints from exhaustion. Two-Bit and Ponyboy then leave Johnny and go to visit Dally. As Ponyboy and Two-Bit leave Johnny’s room, Johnny’s mother accuses them for Johnny’s condition, and Two-Bit then insults her. When they go visit Dally they find Dally arguing with the nurse because she won’t let him smoke in the room. Dally was recovering very well in the hospital. Dally also asked Two-Bit for his switch blade and when Two-Bit gave it to him, Dally hid it under his pillow. On the way home, Ponyboy explains the bad feeling he has about the rumble, but Two-Bit doesn’t understand Ponyboy and then calls him a chicken. Two-Bit also notices Ponyboy’s bad health but Ponyboy convinces him not to tell Darry about his health. When Ponyboy and Two-Bit were heading home from the gas station, they run into Cherry. Cherry tells them that the Socs are going to be fighting with no weapons for tonight’s rumble. Ponyboy asked Cherry to visit Johnny but she refused to, because she didn’t want to see Bob’s murderer. Ponyboy gets really angry and calls her a traitor but quickly forgives her and changes the topic. Ponyboy then asked her if she could see the sunset from the West side, and when she replied yes, Ponyboy tells her to remember that he can see it from the East side too.

The rumble was scheduled at 7:00 P.M. Ponyboy takes five to six aspirins and still is successful hiding his illness. All the Greasers dress very neatly and look very tough. Ponyboy still has a very odd feeling about the rumble. As the gang goes to the lot, Tim Sheppard’s gang had also arrived to the lot. Ponyboy compares his gang of greasers to Tim Sheppard’s gang and realizes that Tim Sheppard’s gang members look more like criminals than Ponyboy’s gang. Twenty-two Socs arrive to fight Twenty Greasers. Ponyboy also figures out why Greasers are always blamed for the fights as the Socs dressed like they were going to the movies while the Greasers dressed and looked very tough. Darry offers to begin the fight and challenges anyone of the Socs. Paul Holden, Darry’s high school friend challenges him. As they are about to begin the fight, Dally arrives and is ready to fight with one functioning arm. The fight breaks into a whole and the rumble begins. Ponyboy manages to ask Dally how he got out of the hospital, while he was fighting. Dally had talked the nurse into letting him go by threatening her with Two-Bit’s switchblade. Even though the Greasers got beat up bad, they won they the rumble because the Socs started running away first. As soon as the rumble was over, Dally grabbed Ponyboy and took him to the hospital to see Johnny as his condition was getting worst when Dally had left. On the way to the hospital, the police officer catches them for speeding. Dally convinces the police that Ponyboy is hurt badly and got and escort from the police to the hospital. Dally and Ponyboy find Johnny dying. Dally tells Johnny the result of the rumble, but Johnny was not impressed by the results as he now believes that fighting is useless. As Johnny is dying he uses his strength and says his last words to Ponyboy. Johnny’s last words were “Stay gold, Ponyboy, Stay gold…”(157). Ponyboy fells really depressed while Dally runs out of the room and gets very emotional.

Reflection of pages 127-157

As my predictions, I was correct that Johnny is going to die which makes me very depressed. When Johnny refuses to see his own mother, I get very angry with Johnny’s actions because it was his mother who had given birth to him and raised him to whatever he is today. If I was there at that event I would have slapped Johnny and that might have knocked some sense into him. When Dally had first asked Two-Bit for the blade, I thought he was going to kill the nurse because she wouldn’t let him smoke, but he didn’t which made me feel relieved since I didn’t want another Greaser to get into trouble. When Ponyboy had asked Cherry to visit Johnny and she replied that she couldn’t see her boyfriends murderer, I was furious when Cherry had said that. Cherry had been a spy for the Greasers and was ready to testify that Johnny had killed Bob because of self-defense. The part that confuses me is that Cherry says that she couldn’t see her boyfriends killer than why was she helping him. Moreover, When Ponyboy had taken five to six aspirins it got me really worried as I thought he was going to die as well because of taking overdose of drugs. When Dally had arrived I really felt very scared because Dally was fighting with one arm and I didn’t want him to get hurt even more. I really enjoyed the scene when Dally lied to the police officer and got an escort. I found that scene really amusing and made me forget about Johnny’s condition. I was really heartbroken when Johnny had died because Johnny was innocent and he had not seen the real world and not accomplished anything in life. Johnny’s last words were really touching and he had died very peaceful which was a good thing.

Summary and Reflection of pages 158-168

Summary of pages 158-168

After Johnny’s death, Dally had left leaving Ponyboy at the hospital. Ponyboy wanders the streets and denies the fact that Johnny is dead. A stranger sees him wandering on the streets and offers him a ride home. When Ponyboy reaches home he sees how bad the gang is beat up. Ponyboy then tells the gang about Johnny’s death and how Dally had run away from the hospital because he was unable to deal with Johnny’s death. Ponyboy kept on wondering how Dally couldn’t take the pain even though Dally was tougher than him. While the gang was discussing about Johnny’s death, Dally calls and he informs them that he had robbed a grocery store and the cops were chasing him. He also told the gang that he was going to be at the lot in a minute. The gang members decide to meet Dally at the vacant lot so they can hide him. All the gang members ran to the lot. When the gang reached the lot, the police had already arrived and Dally had arrived too. As Dally is surrounded by the police, he pulls out his gun. Ponyboy and Dally both know that the gun is not loaded but the police didn’t. The police also pulled there guns out and shoot Dally, which was Dally’s wish. As Dally is shot, Ponyboy’s health is getting worst and faints at the lot. When Ponyboy wakes up several days later, he doesn’t remember events that had happened in the last few days except Johnny’s and Dally’s death. Darry then tells Ponyboy that he was suffering from a concussion from the rumble, when the Soc had kicked him in the head. Sodapop and Darry spend their time with Ponyboy to give him some company. Ponyboy is uncertain if he is going to be allowed to stay with his brothers.

Reflection of pages 158-168

When Dally had robbed the store, and stopped to call the Cutis brother residence it had gotten me really furious with Dally. Dally could have just ran instead of stopping because that could have saved his life. Moreover, as Ponyboy narrates that Dally wanted to die I got a sudden change in feeling. I knew how it felt to lose a close relative but that didn’t give me any reasons to suicide because then I would just be affecting more people that were in my life. I feel that Dally should have just surrender to the police and faced the circumstances as he could have lived his real life in peace. Ponyboy was warned by Darry to not attend the rumble because of his bad health. Why did Ponyboy still attend? He could have stayed home and recovered from his illness. I also think Ponyboy shouldn’t have taken an overdose of drugs as he has done that a couple of times which can lead to death. By my perspective, I think that Ponyboy should be allowed to live with his brothers as all the brothers are getting along with each other and both Darry and Sodapop take great care of Ponyboy.

Summary and Reflection of pages 169-174

Summary of pages 169-174

Ponyboy was restricted to bed rest for the next week, so he could completely recover from his illness. Ponyboy is looking through Sodapop’s yearbook for past time and comes across a picture of Robert Sheldon. Ponyboy recognizes the face, but couldn’t figure out who he was. After a moment he realizes that the boy was Bob who was murdered by Johnny. Later on that day, Randy comes over to Ponyboy’s house. Randy notifies Ponyboy that they have to go to the trial tomorrow and will have to explain the events that had happened that night. Randy tells Ponyboy that his dad is really upset because he had gotten involved in the murder. When Randy finds out that Ponyboy’s parents were not alive and that he could be taken away from his brothers, Randy feels that he has gotten nothing to lose. Randy then tries to convince Ponyboy that he is not going to get into any troubles as he has not murdered Bob. Ponyboy then tells Randy that he had the knife and he had killed Bob. Ponyboy also tells Randy that Johnny was not dead. Randy is really shocked but then Darry comes in and asks him to leave. Darry also tells Randy that Ponyboy is still suffering emotionally from Johnny’s and Dally’s death so he has been saying unusual facts.

Reflection of pages 169-174

Randy’s visit to Ponyboy’s house had gotten me really angry. At first I thought that Randy was visiting because he wanted to see if Ponyboy was doing fine but as he started to talk to Ponyboy I realize that he was just there because he was scared about the trial and wanted to talk about it more. That really got me angry as Randy was just there for more information about the trial not because he was trying to be nice and see how Ponyboy was recovering. I hate it when certain people never talk to you and then when they need help they come running to you until they get what they want from you. Furthermore, when Ponyboy was telling Randy that he had killed Bob and Johnny was alive, it got me really shocked and thought that was the suspense of the story. In addition, when Darry had told Randy that Ponyboy had still not recovered fully from his emotional breakdown I felt relived and my curiosity for this book ended.

Summary and Reflection of pages 175-188

Summary of pages 175-188

The trial at the court wasn’t anything like what Ponyboy had expected. The doctor had already talked to the Judge about Ponyboy’s health condition, so the judge didn’t ask Ponyboy many questions. The judge only asked Ponyboy questions about his life at home. The judge then makes the decision to let Ponyboy stay with his brothers and is not faced with any charges. The Curtis brothers return home and things go back to normal. As Ponyboy returns back to school, he is having a hard time and starts to become less worried about his education. Fighting between Darry and Ponyboy still continue. Ponyboy seems to not care about school and starts becoming lazy. At lunch one afternoon, Ponyboy, Steve, and Two-Bit go to the gas station to get some cigarettes and coke. While Two-Bit and Steve were getting the cigarettes, a car full of Socs pulls up beside Ponyboy. Three Socs got out of the car and accused Ponyboy for the murder of Bob and threatened him to beat him up. Ponyboy busted the end of his pepsi bottle and threatened to cut anyone who attacked him. The Socs got scared and left. Steve and Two-Bit were concerned about Ponyboy as they don’t want Ponyboy to turn into a criminal like them. When Ponyboy starts picking up the broken glass, Two-Bit and Steve realize that Ponyboy has not changed at all. Ponyboy’s English teacher assigns him to write an essay about any particular event in his life as an extra credit assignment. Ponyboy was given this chance because he was failing English at that moment. The teacher would raise his grade to a C if he wrote an outstanding paper. Darry kept on nagging Ponyboy to complete the paper but Ponyboy couldn’t think of anything to write about. Darry and Ponyboy get into a big argument and when they ask Sodapop to choose a side, he runs out of the house. Ponyboy and Darry chase him and catch him at the park. Sodapop explains how he can’t take being in the middle all the time. Ponyboy and Darry never thought how their fighting was impacting Sodapop. Sodapop explains how the brothers should be sticking together and not tearing each other apart. The Curtis brothers all agree to stick together and return home. At home, Ponyboy couldn’t still think of what to write about and stops thinking about the paper. Ponyboy then looks for a book to read and picks up Gone with the Wind. When he picked up the book a note had fallen from the book. The note was from Johnny and he had written about how it was worth dying and saving the lives of the innocent children’s. Johnny also points out that Ponyboy doesn’t have to be a Greaser for the rest of his life, and he could be whatever he wishes to be. Ponyboy sees the problems in life are too big of a problem to be personal. After reading the letter Ponyboy feels that every boy across the country should know the story about what has happen to him and his friends during the last few days. The story turns out to be a popular book called The Outsiders.

Reflection of pages 175-188

The trial results were perfect and I was really happy that Ponyboy got to stay with Sodapop and Darry. Ponyboy’s great plunge in his education really surprised me as I don not understand what had caused this plunge in his academics. Ponyboy’s actions against the Socs really surprised me as I started to think that all the publicity and the few cruel days, he had spent had changed his personality and the way he use to do things. When Sodapop had ran out of the house I was suddenly worried about Sodapop and hoping that he stayed away from trouble. I felt really happy when the Curtis brother finally agreed to stick together. I was really happy to know that Johnny thinks that it was worth to save the lives of the innocent children and that he was not afraid of dying anymore. This makes me feel that Johnny had actually accomplished a lot in life. This book actually is a great book to read as it covered a lot of social issues and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.