1. Dally says that he’s completely indifferent to his parents who abandoned him and that they hold no influence over him. Ponyboy believes him. Do you? Explain your answer. Your answers will vary, but expect most of your students to say that Dally is probably so tough and hardened because of his parents and childhood. He says none of it matters,but it clearly does. He walks around like he’s mad at the world and that anger needs to come from somewhere. Chances are high that he’s angry, at least in part, because of his lousy parents.
2. Why doesn’t Dally want Johnny to turn himself in? He’s afraid that Johnny will be hardened by spending time in jail. Dally cares about Johnny and doesn’t want him to end up the same way he is – tough, cold, violent.
3. Even in the face of extreme danger inside the burning church, Johnny smiles and shows a rare level of confidence, even joy. Why, do you suppose, he reacts this way? Johnny has been scared of everything for many months. A few minutes before the fire, he had decided to turn himself in to the police. In doing so, a burden was lifted. As he and Ponyboy entered the church, Johnny was excited and may have felt he had nothing to lose. Earlier in the book, Johnny was saying suicidal things, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t have the same level of fear as another person in that moment. Johnny is an angel and a good, brave soul. He’s happy doing the right thing and, for the first time in a long time, he doesn’t feel scared anymore.
4. When Ponyboy and Johnny need a place to hide out, they go to an abandoned church. In this chapter, witnesses say the boys were “sent from heaven” to help the little children from the burning building, which Ponyboy described as “a red hell.” Symbolically, what’s going on here with all of this religious imagery? Hinton is making the connection that the two boys are not what society expects. Johnny, by one definition, is a murderer, yet he’s also a hero. Dally is awful and, at first, doesn’t want to get involved in the rescue, yet he also followed and was burned as he helped pull children out of the window. Dally also saves Ponyboy, who was on fire and trying to run back into the building. Hinton seems to be saying that all of us have the potential to be angels, in spite of our life’s circumstances, the labels placed on us by society, or our past sins. It seems contradictory, but the boys are both sinners and saints. Religion offers redemption and forgiveness, something boys on both sides of the feud need.
5. Dally does two separate things that help save Ponyboy’s life. Explain them both. First, he knocks Ponyboy to the ground when he’s on fire and attempting to run back into the building. Second, he had given Ponyboy his jacket, which provided protection to Ponyboy when he was in the fire. Interestingly, Ponyboy has said that he dislikes and fears Dally, yet this young man is the reason he’s alive. There’s a love there, even if Ponyboy doesn’t recognize it.
6. What makes Ponyboy realize that Darry really does love him? When Darry sees Ponyboy in the hospital, he starts to cry. Ponyboy has never seen Darry cry, not even at their parents’ funeral. Ponyboy realises that Darry was hard on him because he feared losing someone else that he loves. Their hug is a turning point in their relationship. Things are going to be better now, Ponyboy believes.