Two Bit and Ponyboy arrive at the hospital to see Johnny. They argue with the nurse to see him and the doctor lets them in because Johnny has been asking for them. When they are talking to Johnny, who is not in good condition, he states how he always wanted to kill himself but now he feels that 16 years isn't long enough. Johnny's mother comes to visit and he tells her to "leave him alone for once in his life". While they are there they also visit Dally who is still himself and is doing okay. He asks Two Bit for his prized switchblade and places it under his pillow. The boys go to the bus stop and Ponyboy says that he doesn't have a good feeling about the rumble. Physically, Ponyboy is sick. They see Cherry Valance who tells them that she loved Bob because he was special and doesn't want to see Johnny. This upsets Ponyboy. He questions her sincerity of being a spy but regrets saying it. After talking Ponyboy realizes that the two have the same view on sunsets and both of them have green eyes.
"A pain was growing in my throat and I wanted to cry, but greasers don't cry in front of strangers" -Ponyboy (Narration)
Ponyboy says this after he finds out Johnny's condition in the hospital. This is an example of the standards that are set for the greasers and how rigidly they follow them. Even though he was feeling very emotional, he put his image as a greaser first. Although Cherry states that they have more emotion than the socs, the greasers are also tough and are often refered to as juvenile delinquents. They feel that if they cry it will ruin their reputation as reslient. Greasers are also tough through their appearance (leather jackets, switchblades, slicked back hair) The only acceptance is that they can cry around other greasers but never in front of strangers. Reporters interview Ponyboy while he is in the waiting room of the hospital. Soda is acting silly around the policemen and reporters and Ponyboy refers to him as a "colt". Sodapop and Darry lie together saying that they haven't gotten sleep all week. After a lot of pushing they are able to hear Dally and Johnny's condition. The doctor was reluctant at first because they weren't family but they convince him that they are "as much family as they had". Dally has a bad burned arm which will leave him crippled for a few weeks and a scar that will last forever. Ponyboy says that Dally could get through anything, but it was Johnny that he was worried about. Johnny has a broken back and third degree burns. He will be paralyzed from the waist down if he survives. This makes Ponyboy upset because if this happens, Johnny wouldn't be able to leave the house he was always trying to get away from. The boys go home and Darry carries Ponyboy from the car onto his bed. Ponyboy wakes up and starts to make breakfeast. Two Bit and Steve walk through the unlocked door. The door is left unlocked because any of the greasers can come if they need a place to sleep or cool off. Two Bit throws Ponyboy around causing him to toss the uncooked eggs. The newspaper headline reads "Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heros" and the whole story is covered in the paper including a seperate column about Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy about how they have been living on their own. Cherry and Randy were interviewed; both stated that the socs were drunk and the boys did it out of self defense. The papers scare Ponyboy because there is a chance that he might be put in a boys home separated from his brothers. Ponyboy tells Darry that he had one of his scary dreams last night. Before, Ponyboy used to have nightmares and wake up not remembering them; it was so bad that Sodapop had to sleep in his room for a while. Two Bit and Steve talk about how they are going to throw a party when they beat the socs and the topic of Sandy come up. Sandy, Sodapop's ex girlfriend, moved to Florida with her grandmother breaking Sodapop's heart. The rest of the greasers leave for work and Twobit and Ponyboy go to Tast Freeze to get a Coke. On the way they run into Randy who is mourning Bob's death, but he is not looking for vengeance. Randy tells them that Bob was spoiled rotten, and Ponyboy realizes that Randy was human too.
"I listened to his heart pounding through his t shirt and knew everything was going to be okay now." -Ponyboy (Narration)
This occurs when Ponyboy is hugging Darry when they are reaunited at the hospital. It was almost as if hugging Darry, something they rarely did, was reassuring Ponyboy in a sense. I think that hugging Darry comforted not only Ponyboy but also Darry. Their perspectives, especially Ponyboy's, changed. This event seemed very negative but this was a good outcome. The strained bond between the two is strengthened because of this realization. At the Dairy Queen, Johnny tells Dally that he plans to turn himself into the police. This shocks Dally and causes him to get very angry. Dally says that prision will destroy him and Johnny replies that his parents won't care about him anyway. The boys drive home and pass the church which has caught on fire. Ponyboy and Johnny believe that one of their cigarettes caused the fire. There are children on the property who were having a picnic by the church. One of the adults exclaims that some of the children are missing and likely are trapped inside of the church. They hear screaming inside of the church and go crawling in through a side window to rescue them. Johnny and Ponyboy get the children out of the church before the roof caves in. The roof is about to colapse and Johnny pushes Ponyboy out of the way ultimutaly saving him. Ponyboy feels a hard smacking on his back and passes out. When he awakes he fears that he is in the police station but he is really in the ambulance, Johnny and Dally are in another truck. A stranger is sitting next to him in the waiting room and introduces himself as Jerry Wood, one of the adults from the picnic. He believes that the boys are from heaven, reluctant, Ponyboy tells him that they are actually greasers. The two talk for a while until Sodapop and Darry arrive. Ponyboy bearhugs Sodapop and sees that Darry is crying, something he never has done even at his parents' funeral. He then continues to hug Ponyboy stating that he was so scared that he would lose someone else he loved. Ponyboy says that he finally realizes that Darry really loves and cares for him.
"Darry hasn't had the slightest notion where you're at and it's nearly killing him" -Sodapop (Letter)
Ponyboy reads this from a letter from Sodapop provided by Darry. Up until this point, Ponyboy thinks that his brothers don't care about his disappearance, especially Darry. He always thought that Darry wished that he never existed, but I think that this letter gave Ponyboy some reasurance. In the end, Darry truly cares about Ponyboy even if he doesn't show it. Ponyboy wakes up in the church and discovers a note left in the dust from Johnny. He has left to get supplies. While he is waiting, Ponyboy thinks back to what a normal weekend would be like. The gang would play football together. Johnny returns with food, cigarettes, peroxide, playing cards, and the book Gone With the Wind (to kill time). To disguise themselves they cut their hair and Ponyboy dyes his with peroxide so they don't match the description in the paper. This greatly upsets Ponyboy because he feels that this was a huge factor that set him apart. Together, they read books and eat balony and candy. One day while reading Gone With the Wind, Ponyboy realizes how deep Johnny was. Although people perceive him as stupid because he is slow, he actually can be very intelligent. They even analize a poem by Robert Frost. After 5 days, Dally shows up to the abandoned church. He brought a letter to Ponyboy from Sodapop. Ponyboy learns that Darry is freaking out over Ponyboy's disappearance and both brothers dearly miss Ponyboy. Dally tells them what has happened since they have left. The police have been questioning all of the greasers about Bob's death. When Dally was asked, he told them that Johnny and Ponyboy were heading for Texas driving them away from the actual location. The three go out to get food at a Dairy Queen. This is the first time the boys have had real food in a while. Because of the killing, there is a lot of tension between the socs and the greasers. A "warfare" planned where if the socs win, things will go on as usual but if the greasers win, the socs will stay off of their territory forever. The greasers have a major adavantage, a spy. The spy is Cherry Valance.
"I can lie so easily it spooks me sometimes - Sodapop says it's from reading all the time, but Two Bit lies all the time too and has never opened a book" - Ponyboy (Narration)
Ponyboy says this after he asks a man for direction, he lies afterwords. This statement shows a lot about Ponyboy and his personality. We already know that his academic and literary intrests set him apart from everyone in his gang. Because he is still young, he is discovering his talents and evolving as a young adult. This is showed especially through the quote. Ponyboy and Johnny arrive at the park which has a playground, swimming pool, and fountain to "cool off". It is 2:30 am and the park is deserted. The socs in the blue mustang approach the boys. The two groups get into an argument insulting each other. One of the socs tells Ponyboy that he will "give him a bath" and then proceeds to push him into the fountain. Ponyboy is struggling to breath and feels that he is going to die. Suddenly, the pressure is released and he is pulled up from the fountain. The socs have run away out of fear, and Ponyboy sees Bob's dead body and realizes that Johnny stabbed him with his switchblade. While Johnny stays calm, Ponyboy is panicking. They go to Dally, who is at Buck Meril's house, in hope that he might help them. Dally gives them $50 and dry clothes for Ponyboy. He tells them to take a train to Windrixville and to hide in an abandoned church. They board the train a hide from the police. Ponyboy asks a person directions to the church and they walk 45 minutes to the church. Finally, they arrive and quickly fall asleep.
"Darry looked at the palm of his hand where it had turned red and looked back at me. His eyes were huge" -Ponyboy (Narration)
This occurs right after Darry hits Ponyboy for being late and for yelling back at him. I think that at this moment, Darry realizes how hard he actually was on Ponyboy. Darry lets his anger control him. He spurs out of control and hits Ponyboy. This was an important realization for Darry because it tells him to act like an older brother, not like a father. I believe that this was an extremely intense scene in this chapter and will have an impact on the story's plot line. |