1. Reeling pickled. Boozed up. Crocked. The Greasers use a lot of different words/phrases for “drunk.” Why, do you suppose, they have so many euphemisms for getting drunk? What does this show us about their world?
They have so many words/phrases for it because getting drunk is something they often do. In this world, it’s common to drink to excess. This makes sense when you think about how much they hate their lives and want some kind of escape. Sometimes, people drink alcohol to make them numb to the pain in their worlds. This seems to be the case for most of the boys, even if they think they’re drinking only to have fun. There’s really something deeper, and darker, happening here. It’s interesting that the Socs also drink a lot, even though Bob and Randy say that they don’t. Every time we’ve seen them so far, they’ve been drunk. Perhaps this is a common denominator amongst the two groups. They are all unhappy with their lives.
2. If you were on a jury and saw a video recording of what happened when Johnny stabbed Bob, what would your sentence for Johnny be?
Johnny was acting in self-defense and doesn’t deserve any punishment at all. Others will say that Johnny did kill Bob, but doesn’t deserve the electric chair, as the boys fear he’d be given. This question always makes for a lively class discussion.
3. In this chapter, Ponyboy says, “… the fight for self- preservation had hardened [Dally] beyond caring.” Is this true for Johnny, too? What about for Ponyboy?
Johnny does seem to be hardened by the aftermath of the Soc beating four months ago. His eyes are described as darkening and he’s scared all of the time, even carrying the switchblade with him. For Ponyboy, there is evidence of hardening feelings against the Socs when he talks about the economic differences between the two classes and the injustice of it all. Although Ponyboy isn’t as hard as the older boys, the reader can see the changes happening.
4. What’s the irony of Ponyboy’s dream of living in the country finally coming true in this chapter?
A dream is supposed to bring joy, yet the circumstances surrounding his move to the country are anything but joyful. This version of life in the country is not what Ponyboy had envisioned. It seems like dreams, even a simple dream like living in the country, are denied to members of the Greaser class.
5. If Johnny and Ponyboy had come to your house in the middle of the night seeking help, what would your advice have been to them?
They’d tell them to turn themselves into the police because the killing was done in self-defense. You can raise a compelling class discussion if you ask your class whether Johnny would’ve been given fair treatment by the police and district attorney. If the roles were reversed, would a young Soc be treated differently by the system than a young Greaser?
6. What colour are Ponyboy’s eyes? Symbolically, what’s interesting about this?
His eyes are gray. This is a compelling choice by Hinton because gray could mean that Ponyboy is depressed and weary about the world. It also could mean that Ponyboy understands that there are lots of sides to every story; that is, the world is not black- and-white or set at the extremes. Instead, it is much messier, like shades of gray. There are good Socs and bad Socs, just as there are good Greasers and bad ones. Even within one person, there is good and bad. Ponyboy, our narrator, seems to understand this more thoroughly than any of the other characters. Finally, Hinton might just want to make Ponyboy stand out even more than he already does. You don’t, after all, meet many people with gray eyes.
7. What does “premonition” mean? If you need to, look it up in a dictionary and write down the definition. How is this word’s usage in the last paragraph of the chapter an example of foreshadowing?
A premonition is a strong feeling that something bad is going to happen. This word’s usage here obviously means that the boys’ troubles are not over. We should have a bad feeling at the end of the chapter.