S.E. Hinton Message Board
Ray posts on 12/28/2009 2:16:36 PM
I was just woundering why she put Ponyboy Curtis in the book That was then, this is now but no one else in the gang?
renisa posts on 11/17/2009 6:29:42 PM
what was the worst thing ever happen to tex?
alina juuti posts on 4/26/2009 11:52:50 AM
the movie takes place in the 60's so the beatles were formed by then!!
John Scalli posts on 3/26/2009 9:41:51 AM
How can an novel that supposedly takes place in the 1950s reference a rock band (The Beatles)that wasn't formed until 1960?
Carol posts on 2/26/2009 12:41:33 PM
I read Rumble Fish and I have to say, I was highly disappointed but then at the same time I can understand her motives for carrying out the story the way she did. The beginning was great and very promising, but somewhere towards the end, it's almost like she got bored of the story. Or maybe she didn't carry out the scenes like she wanted? I don't know. There was a struggle of growth in Rusty, and that kind of annoyed me, but then I feel Hinton makes her characters do things/not do things for certain reasons. I guess her aim was to show what could happen to a person if they didn't wise up the way Rusty didn't. I don't know if it would've been cliche if Hinton made Rusty turn out into some hero--it may have not been realistic, but it may have been. Because it would give that kid that's just like Rusty some hope to grow in the future.
The character who pissed me off, who was so vacuous and I know she purposely depicted him this way, was Motorcycle Boy. We didn't even know his real name, and Rusty knew it. Just like Rusty, I admired him in the beginning. He was the classical bad boy who deep down inside was more intellectual than people think. The part that struck me was how he was kicked out for perfect scores...that made me really sad. But what irritated me more was just how I wanted to know more about this guy, to figure him out. Was this dude crazy forreal? And why did he ignore Rusty? He seemed to have no feeling at all...WHY? And now I guess it makes sense when the dad said he's just like the mother. It's weird, to me, the father and Rusty are the same. The father just went along with that wife and married her and even if he was somebody he just broke. Rusty just kept on trying to be like motorcycle boy so bad that he just broke even if he could have been someone.
Steve...i dont know what to think of him, but i like how he actually grew. After that night when Rusty nearly died, he was so through with that life.
Overall, I guess i get Hinton's intentions--if she had any at all. I think i'm the type of reader when I read a story I want the character to do well, i'm rooting for them, I want some progression and growth and I want them to learn something. But Hinton writes in such a harsh realistic view, indiscriminate of how making people learn of repercussions will affect her characters. I want a story on Mortocycle boy so bad (i can't even tell if he died or not), but at the same time I don't cause he's kind of crazy lol.
I want more of what happened to Rusty after words but he's so...rusty now. his emotions are so rusty. he has no feeling for anything...
Christian Ross posts on 2/9/2009 3:34:37 PM
i love these books i have read every one of your books i especially liked the one that was then this was now i related to it alot
blank posts on 6/5/2008 4:13:40 PM
did any of the characters have accomplishments??
michael sciarratta posts on 3/12/2008 6:58:50 AM
what were the major changes in the characters through this story that was then this is now?
rosa lopez posts on 1/31/2008 12:27:02 PM
johnny and ponyboy react diffrently toward dally. explain do you agree with this?
marcia posts on 1/26/2008 7:12:36 PM
when i read the book i realized that ponyboys life is so very similar to mine almost same i live with my to older brothers walter and josh im 14 walter 16 and josh is 22 i live in a run down nabohood were amolst every kid dosent have a family like a mom or a dad im in a gang were every body looks out for everybody we also have a cross town riverly with other gangs this book made fill like there are other kids out there with the same kind of probmles has me and the makes me fill less mad at the world
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