The Outsiders S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders S.E. Hinton Info to Know!!

Round Characters • Definition: A round character is a major character in a work of fiction who encounters conflict and is changed by it. • You know a lot about the character and the story would not stand without him/her.

Flat Characters • Definition: A flat character is a minor character within the novel. • If you took the character out of the story, it wouldn’t change the story line much. • Hmmmm…who would be considered a “flat” character in The Outsiders?

Conflicts • Person vs. Society: Person struggles against oppression, racism, poverty, etc. • Person vs. Person: Person struggles against another person. • Person vs. Himself: Person has an internal struggle within himself. Self-doubt, indecision, depression, etc. • Person vs. Nature: Person struggles against the elements of nature, like weather, animals, etc.(Not much of this conflict in The Outsiders…)

Mood and Tone • The mood focuses on characters being lonely, misunderstood and confused. • The tone mainly includes frustration and anger.

Foreshadowing • Suggestion of something that hasn’t happened yet • Ex. Johnny carried a switchblade everywhere he went after he got jumped. You KNOW something is going to happen!

Flashback • Looking back into the story – hints at future events to come…a transition in a novel, film, etc, to an earlier scene or event • Ex. Remembering when Johnny got jumped by the Greasers

Symbolism • Representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. • Ex. sunrise/sunset – a connection between the Greasers and Socs

Irony • Something opposite of what you think will happen • EX. Ponyboy didn’t think that Dally liked him at all, yet he was the one who helped Johnny and Ponyboy after they were jumped.

Allusion • A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or implied – metaphorical language. • “Stay Gold, Ponyboy.” – References the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

Q1 • Which quote below most reveals Ponyboy to be an insightful, thoughtful character that shows a strong sense of maturity? • “I wanted to be out of towns and away from excitement. I only wanted to lie on my back under a tree and read a book or draw a picture, and not worry about being jumped or carrying a blade…” (Hinton 48). • “They came and got him one day and took him off. He was a real valuable horse. Pure quarter” (Hinton 40). • “He was too late, though; Dally walked out with two packages of Kools under his jacket” (Hinton 19). • “So I lay still, swearing at them between gasps. A blade was held against my throat” (Hinton 5).

Q2 • As they are lying by the fountain, Johnny asks Pony, “Ain’t you about to freeze to death?” (Hinton 53). Johnny is exaggerating to make a point about the cold weather. What type of figurative language would this quote be labeled as? • Simile • Personification • Hyperbole • Metaphor

Q3 • “He was as white as a ghost and his eyes were wild-looking, like the eyes of an animal in a trap” (Hinton 54). • The phrase in bold is which type of figurative language? • Personification • Metaphor • Simile • Hyperbole

Q4 “ ‘Here’, Dally handed me a shirt about sixty-million sizes too big” (Hinton 61). The phrase in bold is which type of figurative language? • Personification • Metaphor • Simile • Hyperbole

Q5 While staying at the church, why did the sight of peroxide and Johnny’s knife make Ponyboy uneasy? He was afraid Johnny might try to disinfect the knife and spill the peroxide. • He feared that his hair would be cut and bleached to fool the authorities. • He was concerned, for Johnny still hadn’t thrown away the knife and dumped the evidence. • Ponyboy had a flashback to the night when Johnny held the knife after committing murder.

Q6 • Which of the following is the correct type of figurative language for the following quote: “The world was spinning around me, and blobs of faces and visions of things past were dancing in the red mist that covered the lot” (Hinton 155). • Simile • Metaphor • Idiom • Personification

Q7 A major turning point that has dominated the novel’s plot occurred in the hospital between Ponyboy and another character. Who was the character, and what type of conflict was being resolved? • Dally—Person v. Society • Jerry—Person v. Person • Johnny—Person v. Nature • Darry—Person v. Person

Q8 The boy who told Ponyboy he was not going to fight in the rumble is • Darry • Randy • Two-Bit • Bob

Q9 A major theme throughout the novel is that appearances can divide people. Describe the differences of appearances between the Socs and the Greasers. How do these appearances represent the personalities of the groups?

The Outsiders S.E. Hinton