That Was Then, This Is Now: Discussion Questions

1. What are the different ways in which Mark and Bryon differ from each other in terms of their personalities?

Their differences come to the forefront more obviously after Charlie’s death. While Bryon is weighed down by guilt, remorse, and wonders if the way they lead their lives makes sense, Mark does not feel guilt. Mark is saddened by Charlie’s death but thinks of it as something unfortunate that just happened. He is not led to introspect his way of life. Even after this, Mark goes ahead and cuts off Angela’s hair, while Bryon who gets beaten up for it does not harbor resentment towards Angela’s brothers who attacked him. From this point onwards, Bryon’s transformation becomes apparent. Not only does he come to terms with the futility of violence, but he also makes efforts to change himself, cut his hair, dress differently and find a job. His relationship with Cathy is another source of conflict between the two friends. Bryon becomes more sensitive towards her and genuinely cares for her and M&M, while Mark does not really have a good relationship with her and is unsettled by the changes he sees in Bryon.

2. Angela and Cathy are two significant female characters in the novel. How do they differ from each other?

Angela is a girl whom Bryon dated but she left Bryon because she was interested in Ponyboy Curtis who subsequently spurned her. She is an impulsive character who loses no time in pursuing what she wants. However, she is also vengeful because she does not take Ponyboy’s rejection kindly and instigates an attack on him at the school dance. Later, when Bryon visits Cathy’s household, he talks about how different it was from Angela’s where her family would be constantly fighting. Angela has grown up in a home that sees conflict daily and that has affected her and shaped her personality. She too, is vengeful and impulsive. Later, we find out she is not happy in her marriage, which was another impulsive decision.

Cathy is someone Bryon meets at the hospital where she works in the cafeteria. She, like all of them, comes from an impoverished background because she had to discontinue her studies. The fact that she works and earns a living by honest means speaks volumes for her—a girl who inhabits a world where everyone is breaking the law. She is M&M’s older sister. She is protective of him and loves him. She is also sensitive towards his emotions, as she knows their father’s comments hurt M&M. She seems to genuinely like Bryon. Bryon too feels good when he visits the Carlson household to pick up Cathy for the dance. Cathy is responsible and mature. Bryon begins to care for her, and she plays a significant role in Bryon gaining maturity.

3. Was Bryon’s decision to have Mark arrested the right thing to do?

From the beginning we know that the world Hinton is sketching is one where flouting the law is no big deal. Both Bryon and Mark indulge in unlawful acts. It is during the novel that Bryon mends his ways, takes up a job, and has a steady girlfriend. For the first time, Bryon begins to care for a girl, Cathy. When Cathy’s brother M&M, a mild-mannered thirteen-year-old, has a bad trip on LSD and suffers permanent brain damage, Bryon is shaken. That year he has also had to deal with the loss of Charlie who was shot in the head. This was another devastating event. So, when Bryon discovers that Mark peddles drugs, he immediately holds Mark solely responsible for kids like M&M getting into trouble.

From the perspective of law and law alone, what Bryon did was right. However, this is a world where the demarcations between what is right and wrong are not very distinct. As Mark argues, he did not really sell the drug to M&M. It is important to note that not too long-ago Bryon himself would routinely break the law. It was a mode of survival. Even now, Bryon’s mother was unable to work so the money Mark brought in was useful. They knew he was stealing but they chose to turn a blind eye. But drug peddling is something he chooses not to forgive. Bryon, here, is motivated by his subjective experiences and not by an overwhelming desire to abide by the law. In a way he feels he has betrayed his friend. He knows that prison or the reformatory will not do Mark any good. And he is right. By the end of the novel, we see Mark as a more hardened character who, Bryon is convinced, wants to kill him. Would the right thing then have been to try and convince Mark to change his ways instead of handing him over to the police? The question will haunt Bryon forever.