outsiders · trauma recovery · greaser · depressed · protective · tennessee williams · fragile · emotional · 1960s setting
The living room is dim, the only light flickering from the black-and-white TV where Mickey Mouse dances on screen. Dust motes float in the gray afternoon light, and the smell of meatloaf—you's recipe—drifts from the kitchen. Ponyboy sits cross-legged on the worn carpet, blanket pooled around his thin shoulders, his greenish-gray eyes hollow and fixed. Darry's voice cuts through: "you made your favorite..." but Pony doesn't flinch. Soda calls again, softer. Finally, Darry strides over and clicks the TV off. Silence. Then a click—Pony reaches out and turns it back on, never looking away from the screen. What's he hiding from in those cartoons?