That Was Then, This Is Now Group

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love16
love16
Student
High School - 10th Grade

What event starts the actions in That Was Then, This Is Now?

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Posted by love16 on Saturday August 22, 2009 at 2:22 PM and tagged with that was then, this is now.

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  1. bullgatortail
    bullgatortail Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Although your question is not very specific, one of the first major acts of violence in Susan E. Hinton's novel, That Was Then, This Is Now, takes place in Chapter 3. Bryon has borrowed Charlie's car to take Cathy to the school dance. While there, Bryon runs into Mark and his friend Ponyboy Curtis (of The Outsiders) as well as his old girlfriend, Angela Shepard. While Bryon and Cathy are inside, Ponyboy rushes in to announce that "Mark's hurt!" Mark is unconscious, having had a bottle broken on his head. Ponyboy explains that the bottle was meant for him, and Bryon determines that Angela had put the assailant up to it to pay back Ponyboy for his lack of interest in her. Bryon vows revenge against Angela, setting off a chain of violence that includes the death of Charlie and Bryon's severe beating by Angela's brothers (Tim and Curly Shepard, also of The Outsiders). 

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/was-then/
    http://www.enotes.com/was-then/characters

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    Posted by bullgatortail on Friday December 4, 2009 at 8:11 PM