Discussion Topic
The doctor's statement in The Outsiders foreshadows Johnny's condition
Summary:
The doctor's statement in The Outsiders foreshadows Johnny's condition by hinting at its severity. He implies that Johnny's injuries are critical and that his chances of survival are slim, setting the stage for the reader to anticipate the tragic outcome.
In The Outsiders, how does the doctor's initial statement in chapter 8 foreshadow Johnny's condition?
The doctor's ominous words at the beginning of Chapter 8 foreshadow that Johnny is hurt so badly that he is going to die. The nurses, following hospital rules, are adamant that, because of his critical condition, he is to be allowed no visitors, but when the doctor comes, he tells the nurses, "Let them go in...He's been asking for them. It can't hurt now". Assuming that hospital rules are made for the benefit of the patient, and that protecting Johnny from the stress of having visitors would have hastened his recovery, the doctor's instructions to allow the boys to see him in accordance with Johnny's wishes because "it can't hurt now" pretty much says that there is no hope for his recovery. The hospital rules has no purpose now, because Johnny is going to die anyway, and it is more important at this point to keep him as comfortable as possible.
Although the less perceptive Two-Bit doesn't...
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understand the unsaid meaning behind the doctor's words,Ponyboy picks up on the doctor's implication immediately when he thinks numbly, "It's true...he is dying".
How does the doctor's statement on page 119 in The Outsiders foreshadow Johnny's condition?
In chapter 7, Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry finally get a chance to speak to the doctor about Dally and Johnny's condition. Initially, the doctor does not want to elaborate on Dally and Johnny's condition because the Curtis brothers are not family, but he eventually elaborates on Dally and Johnny's health. The doctor begins by telling the boys that Dally will be alright. He then elaborates on Johnny's condition by telling them that Johnny has suffered a broken back and has severe burns all over his lower body. The doctor also mentions that Johnny has been continually calling for Dallas and Pony. The doctor then tells the Curtis brothers that if Johnny lives, he will be crippled for the rest of his life. The doctor's comment foreshadows Johnny's tragic death later on in the novel.
The doctor's directions to let Ponyboy and Two-Bit in to see Johnny because "it can't hurt now" indicates that he has little hope that Johnny will survive. At this point, the damage has been done and Johnny will probably die, but nothing more can be done to save him. The doctor seems to want to allow the boys the opportunity to say their goodbyes.
What does the doctor predict for Johnny's condition in The Outsiders?
When Ponyboy and his brothers visit the hospital to see Johnny, the doctor explains Johnny's condition to them. The doctor tells the boys that Johnny is in critical condition and has a broken back from where the piece of timber fell on him. The doctor then tells the Curtis brothers that even if Johnny recovers, he will be crippled for the rest of his life. This news comes as a shock to Ponyboy, who begins to tremble after listening to the doctor's explanation. Ponyboy then begins to image what life would be like for Johnny as a disabled person. Ponyboy reasons that Johnny would hate life because he would not be able to participate in sports or rumbles with the gang, and essentially be forced to stay inside his dysfunctional home all day. However, Johnny ends up dying from his injuries and does not have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
I assume that you are talking about the first time that the doctor talks about Johnny. This is the time where he is talking to Pony and his brothers, Soda and Darry, telling them about Dally and Pony.
At this point, the doctor says first of all that he does not know if Johnny is going to live. He keeps talking about if Johnny lives. He says that Johnny has broken his back. He says that if Johnny does not die he will be crippled for the rest of his life because his back is broken.