Answer:
Chapter Eleven
1. True or false? Bob’s parents are partly responsible for their son’s death. Explain your answer.
Randy and Ponyboy have commented that Bob’s parents were too lenient with their son, which made him act out in worse and worse ways. In this chapter, Ponyboy wonders if Bob’s parents loved him too much or too little. Over-indulgence is equated with neglect here, making us think that Bob and Johnny had more in common than it would seem at first glance.
2. Ponyboy compares Bob to several of the members of the Greaser gang, noting Bob’s smile was like Sodapop’s, his eyes might have been like Johnny’s, and his recklessness and hot-temper were certainly like Dally’s. What is Hinton’s point in drawing such clear connections between Bob and the Greasers?
Answer - Again, Hinton is emphasizing the idea that these boys have much more in common than they realize. They are all individuals and contain far more sides/complexities than any label can accurately portray. The foolishness of their hatred is emphasized here.
3. Why, do you suppose, would Ponyboy rather have someone’s hate than his/her pity?
Answer =- Playing the victim is not Ponyboy’s style. He’d rather be hated and still hold some power than to be emasculated by pity.
4. Ponyboy has been a thoughtful voice of reason as the narrator of the story, but at the end of this chapter he’s changed and is now what is called an “unreliable narrator.” What’s going on with Ponyboy here in the last few pages of the chapter?
Answer - Put on your psychologist’s hat as you answer this question. In his deep grief over Johnny’s death, his mind has slipped into the defense mechanism of denial. He isn’t able yet to fully face the events of the last few days, so he’s lying to himself to try to ease his pain. This is interesting when we look at his statement in the first chapter, when he said, “I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” On some level, Ponyboy knows that Johnny really is dead and that Johnny was, indeed, the one who stabbed Bob. He’s just not ready to deal with everything.
5. What’s another piece of evidence at the very end of the chapter that Darry and Ponyboy have repaired their relationship?
Answer - Darry is care-taking Ponyboy and calls him “little buddy,” a loving term Darry previously used only with Sodapop. Aww.
