Question

read this excerpt from the outsiders.

\im okay. quit shaking me, darry, im okay.\

he stopped instantly. \im sorry.\

he wasnt really. darry isnt ever sorry for anything he does. it seems funny to me that he should look just exactly like my father and act exactly the opposite from him. my father was only forty when he died and he looked twenty-five and a lot of people thought darry and dad were brothers instead of father and son. but they only looked alike-my father was never rough with anyone without meaning to be.

a universal theme found in this excerpt is

big brothers are never sorry.
fathers can act like brothers.
family relationships are complicated.
fathers are never rough with anyone.

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt

The narrator describes a tense interaction with his older brother, Darry, who shakes him and then apologizes. The narrator notes that Darry "isn't ever sorry for anything he does" and compares Darry's physical appearance and behavior to their deceased father. While they look identical, they act completely opposite: the father "was never rough with anyone without meaning to be," whereas Darry is rough and has a complicated dynamic with the narrator.

Evaluate the options

• "big brothers are never sorry": Too specific and contradicted by Darry saying "I'm sorry."
• "fathers can act like brothers": Not supported by the text, which emphasizes how different the father and brother act.
• "family relationships are complicated": This is a broad, universal theme that accurately reflects the complex feelings of love, physical roughness, resemblance, and behavioral differences between the brothers and their late father.
• "fathers are never rough with anyone": Contradicted by the text, which states the father was never rough "without meaning to be," implying he could be rough intentionally.

Determine the correct choice

The universal theme that best fits the complex dynamics described between Ponyboy, Darry, and their father is that family relationships are complicated.

Answer:

• big brothers are never sorry.
• fathers can act like brothers.
• family relationships are complicated. (Correct answer)
• fathers are never rough with anyone.