Discussion Topic
The new challenges the brothers face after Ponyboy returns home in The Outsiders
Summary:
After Ponyboy returns home in The Outsiders, the brothers face new challenges such as strained family dynamics and the threat of being separated by social services. Ponyboy's mental state and academic performance deteriorate, causing additional stress. Darry struggles to maintain authority and keep the family together, while Sodapop feels caught in the middle of their conflicts.
In The Outsiders, what new problems do the brothers face after Ponyboy returns home?
In The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, Ponyboy is cared for by his twenty year old brother Darry because the brothers lost their parents in a car accident. His other brother Sodapop also looks out for him and the boys "get to stay together only as long as we behave" (chapter 1). The boys are from the "east side of town" and are members of "the Greasers," a gang of boys who "steal things....and have a gang fight once in a while" (chapter 1) but Ponyboy is a bright boy, different from the rest and does not usually get into trouble. On one occasion, however, Ponyboy is disheartened, and with his friend Johnny Cade, he runs away. The boys have a problem with boys from the rival gang the "Socs" and Johnny kills one of them in self-defense. They need to hide out, and in doing so,...
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they end up saving some school-children from a burning fire which transforms them into heroes, although Johnny is seriously hurt.
Even though the boys are heroes, Ponyboy will still have to appear in juvenille court because he ran away in the first place and Johnny will be charged with manslaughter "if" he recovers. The newspaper carries an article about Ponyboy's home life and it is only at this point that the full implication occurs to Ponyboy- that he and Sodapop who is only sixteen himself could be placed in care; "in a boys' home or something" (ch 7).
What quote shows additional problems the brothers faced after Ponyboy's return in The Outsiders?
When Ponyboy returns from hiding after Johnny kills Bob, the main issue the brothers face is Pony’s legal problem. They fear that he might be put in prison or that he and Soda might be taken away from Darry. Pony isn’t injured as seriously as Johnny, but he is badly shaken.
Things are complicated when Pony returns. The gang is preparing for a rumble against the Socs, and Johnny and Dally are in the hospital from their injuries at the church fire. Pony participates in the rumble even though he was somewhat injured in the fire, too, and is not as good at fighting to begin with.
When Randy comes to see him, Pony explains to him that he is worried about their family being broken up.
"My parents are dead. I live here with just Darry and Soda, my brothers." I took a long drag on my cigarette. "That's what's worrying me. If the judge decides Darry isn't a good guardian or something, I'm liable to get stuck in a home somewhere. …” (Ch. 11)
At his hearing, Pony is terrified to speak to the judge. He feels a little mixed up about the events in the park, even thinking that he was the one who killed Bob instead of Johnny. The judge is aware of this, and doesn’t really ask Pony any serious questions.
All the judge did was ask me if I liked living with Darry, if I liked school, what kind of grades I made, and stuff like that. I couldn't figure it out then, but later I found out what the doctor had been talking to the judge about. (Ch. 12)
Pony is acquitted, so he has no jail time. He has to figure out how to get his life on the right track. Johnny told him to stay gold. He decides to call his English teacher and use his assignment to write a book about his life experiences as a kind of therapy, so he can move on with his life.