When you read, do you often get caught up in the events of the story? While an engaging plot is a mark of a good novel, a burning desire to find out what's next can cause us to miss some important details.
In a previous lesson, you looked at different characters' views of events in the story. Remember that this view is called perspective. Because The Outsiders is written in first-person point of view, you see the entire story through Ponyboy's eyes. But as you learned previously, other characters have perspectives, too, and understanding those perspectives requires you to examine important details to determine how those characters think and feel.
What should you look for when you're assessing other characters' perspectives? Click through the table below to see which details are frequently used to express the viewpoints of others.
| what a character says | Analyze the character's words. What positive and negative things do they have to say about events in the story or other characters? What do they have to say about life in general? Look for emotional words and details that express how the character thinks and feels. |
| what a character does | Look for details that describe the character's actions--do those details tell you something? Does the character act in a certain way without saying anything? What do his or her actions say about the character's perspective? In addition, consider how a character's actions may point to strong emotions. |
| the reactions of other characters | Look at how others respond to the character. One way to do this is to compare one character's outlook to the main character's views. Another option is to compare how others in the story respond to the character. Do they contradict him or her? Do they dislike or mistrust the character, and if so, why? How do the other characters in the story treat the person overall? |
Question
What perspective do Dally, Two-Bit, and Steve have of Johnny?
Answer
They pity him because of his difficult home life, and as a result, they are easier on him than they are on some of the other gang members.
