1. Johnny is in the hospital. What is his condition? He’s in bad shape. He’s badly burned and has a broken back. Ponyboy is relieved that his face looks the same, but there’s a big question as to whether he’ll even survive. If he does survive, he’ll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It doesn’t look good.
2. Why would being paralyzed and/or wheelchair-bound be worse for Johnny than for someone else? If he were crippled, he’d be stuck in a house with horrible parents who don’t like him and wouldn’t take good care of him. It would be as if he were trapped in a prison. He’s also a physical kid, who likes to play football and join in on fights. That whole part of his life, a part that brings some joy to his sad life, would be gone.
3. Ponyboy says that people often seem younger when they’re asleep. Why, do you suppose, this is true? When sleeping, all of the worries and fears that we hold in our waking lives temporarily disappear. While asleep, we look like our true, unburdened selves. In truth, these young men are still just boys, too young to have so much weight on their shoulders.
4. Two-Bit takes issue with the newspaper that says Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally “turn heroes” and says, “Y’all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn’t ‘turn’ all of a sudden.” Thinking about Two-Bit’s background and family, why does he think so highly of the boys? Two-Bit’s life has been easier than the lives of the other three boys, all of whom have lost parents or been abandoned/neglected by their parents. Two-Bit has a loving mom who goes easy on him and he’s able to have a goofy, fun-loving nature because of his mother’s love. To face life without the support of a parent is, to Two-Bit, a heroic act.
5. According to Randy, what was Bob’s biggest problem? His over-indulgent parents never set limits or told Bob “no.” The result was that Bob acted more and more horrendously in an attempt to have his parents intervene. They never did.
6. Randy suggests that all kids want their parents to set limits and to tell them “no” because this gives kids “something solid to stand on.” Is he right or wrong? How do you react when your parents don’t allow you to do something? They say that they want complete freedom, but most of them realize that their parents love them and want the best for them. Setting limits is one way for parents to show they care, even if it annoys the kids. Students will likely say that they sulk or try to coax their parents into giving in to them, with mixed results.
7. Randy has a problem that can be described as a catch-22. Explain what a catch-22 is (you will likely need to look this up in a dictionary) and then explain how this is what Randy faces in regards to tonight’s rumble. A catch-22 is a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions; it is a trap with no escape. This is true for Randy. On one hand, he doesn’t want to fight because it’s meaningless and won’t change or accomplish anything. On the other hand, if he doesn’t show up, he’ll be labelled as a chicken and will become a target of the other Soc boys. He considers running away, but knows that he can’t really do that, either. He doesn’t want to fight, but he feels trapped into having to fight.
8. After talking with Randy, Ponyboy says he is comforted knowing that “things were rough all over.” Explain what he means by this. Ponyboy has had a growing hatred against Socs, but he now realizes that all of the boys have struggles and problems. As he gets to see the other side of the issue, he realizes that they all share more similarities than differences. They are all, at the end of the day, just guys.