First Impressions In The Outsiders

While at a movie theater, Dally is antagonizing and annoying several Soc girls. Johnny stands up to Dally, his hero, and states, “‘Leave her alone, Dally.’ ‘Huh?’ Dally was taken off guard. He stared at Johnny in disbelief. Johnny couldn't say ‘Boo’ to a goose. Johnny gulped and got a little pale, but he said, ‘You heard me. Leave her alone’” (24). It took all of Johnny’s bravery to stand up to his absolute idol. He was willing to stand up to a dangerous boy that could easily defeat him in a fight, to save others. Not only this, but when a church is burning down with children inside, Ponyboy states, ”Johnny wasn't behaving at all like his old self. ... he grinned at me. He wasn't scared either. That was the only time I can think of when I saw him without that defeated, suspicious look in his eyes” (92). Johnny gives his own life for kids who have futures. He charges into the church at full speed when necessary. Johnny becomes brave in the middle of the

Before one begins to truly understand who Dallas Winston really is, it’s necessary to first examine how he was viewed by his friends as being cold-hearted and tough. While trying to figure him out, Pony comments, “It would be a miracle if Dally loved anything. The fight for self-preservation had hardened him beyond caring.” (Hinton, 1995, p.g. 59). Because Dally’s been through so much in his life, he’s put walls around himself which makes him seem indifferent and helps to keep himself stable. Without making himself seem cold-hearted, he’d be revealing his true nature and would ruin the reputation he has amongst his friends. This can also relate to why Dally appears to be tough. As we were being introduced to Dallas in the beginning of the book, the main character Ponyboy describes him by saying, “Dally had spent three years on the wild side of New York and had been arrested at the age of ten. He was tougher than the rest of us- tougher, colder, meaner.” (Hinton, 1995, p.g. 10). This shows the audience that Dally has a reputation for being tough and mean by the way that he was arrested at such a young age. To be able to live on the rougher side of New York, toughness is also almost a staple trait one must have. His past has made his friends think that this is his true self when in all reality, he is actually very loving.

The story changed in many ways when Dally died. First off, the gang is really torn apart. Second off, Ponyboy couldn’t tell Dally what Johnny wanted him to tell Dally. Third off, It caused a lot of stress on the rest of the gang. And finally, Pony now has a story to tell about how Johnny and Dally died on the same night.

Dally is a criminal who did many bad things, and had gone to jail many times. Dally has been involved in many gang related crimes. He lied, he cheated, and he stole. He also went to rodeos and rumbles. He even jumped people. Dally lived a life of crime and didn’t take any actions to turn his life around, he just kept doing the wrong thing. And after Johnny dies, Dally has the police kill him. He does this by pulling a gun so that the police will shoot at him; and they do. He died before he hit the floor.

The author writes, “Johnny’s eyes glowed. Dally was proud of him. That was all Johnny had ever wanted” (148). Johnny’s reaction is priceless. Out of the entire greaser gang, Johnny and Dally’s relationship is the strongest and most significant. When Johnny needs Dally the most, he is his staunchest supporter. In return, Johnny gives back the same, if not more, amount of affection to Dally. When Dally and Johnny die, Ponyboy makes a list of realizations. Ponyboy thinks, “But I remembered Dally pulling Johnny through the window of the burning church; Dally giving us his gun, although it could mean jail for him; Dally risking his life for us, trying to keep Johnny out of trouble.” (154). It is clearly proven that ‘tough’ Dallas Winston makes a substantial effort to make Johnny’s life better. If Dally would not make the effort for Johnny, then Johnny would have to experience life worse than it already is. Since Dally thinks of Johnny almost like a little brother, it would hurt Dally to see Johnny experience that kind of pain. Dally and Johnny are bonded by these similarities, but they are also bonded through their differences.

In the letter that Johnny left for Ponyboy,“‘There's still a lot of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don’t think he knows’” (179). The note Johnny left for Ponyboy to tell Dally, but it was too late for that. Ponyboy says, “Johnny worshipped the ground Dallas walked on”(25). This shows that Johnny is just Dally’s pet. Johnny knows that Dally cares about him but he does not show it because is a tough person. All in all, Both characters care for each other.

Have you ever thought about what it might be like to be an outsider? The Outsiders is a story written by S.E. Hinton, in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the Mid 1960s. All of the characters involved in this story are in a stereotypical conflict between the rich and poor, the Socs and the Greasers. One central and essential character in this story is Ponyboy. Ponyboy is a character who is at a young age, starting to grow up and is finally starting to realize what life is really about. The protagonist of this story gets into some trouble as he and his friend Johnny kill a Socs and are running away from home. Just as they thought they were going to get caught for murder, they end up being heroes by saving eight kids’ life from a burning church. By doing that, Pony lost some of his close friends. At the end of the story, Ponyboy realizes that life is not about being a Greaser or a Soc. Emotions are the only thing separating the two gangs. He is a round character as he has many different sides to his personality and a dynamic character as he grows up throughout the novel. Foreshadowing happens when Ponyboy has a dream about a funeral going on; just a little while after that Pony lost two close friends, Johnny and Dally. An internal conflict happens to most of the characters, Pony’s internal conflict is that he does not know if his brother Darry loves him or not. Smart, scared, and sensitive are three words that describe Ponyboy.

When Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally were at the drive in, Dally was teasing Cherry. Johnny says, “Leave her alone, Dally.” (24). Johnny stood up to Dally to make him stop annoying Cherry. This surprises the reader because Johnny is traditionally quiet, and Johnny idolizes Dally. However, Johnny did not hesitate to tell Dally to stop. To defend someone he hardly knew, Johnny breaks character and stands up

Johnny and Dally have a lot in common, and one of them is that they do not really have people to call their family, so they call their gang their family. When Darry hits Ponyboy, Pony runs to Johnny, who is sleeping in the lot, and tells him they are running away because of what Darry did to him. Johnny then explains to Ponyboy that he does not have family and Pony yells at him saying, “‘Shoot, you got the whole gang. Dally didn’t slug you tonight ‘cause you’re the pet. I mean, golly Johnny, you got the whole gang’” (51). Even though Johnny’s parents do not treat him nicely, he still needs to understand that he has people that care for him, and that he is not alone. Later on in the story, Johnny is dying. While he is still alive his mother comes to see him, but he does not want to see her because she will give him grief. When Johnny dies, Dally is devastated. He is so angry that he goes and robs a grocery store. As the police chase him, he goes to a phonebooth and calls the Curtis home. Darry

Life is always full of plight, even if we are reluctant to accept it, things happen. Sometimes it can be hard to work it out alone. We need others to help us when we cannot help ourselves. With others to help, those gray and sad memories will eventually turn into golden, pure moments. In the novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, when several horrific things happened in a flash, Ponyboy needs to be saved from this life of violence and horror, thankfully, a loyal companion, a dog will pull him out of this swirl of chaos.

After Dally’s death, Ponyboy reflects on all the events where Dally helped and supported him,“But I remember Dally pulling Johnny the the window of the burning church; Dally giving us his gun, although it could mean jail for him; Dally risking his life for us, trying to keep Johnny out of trouble.” (154). While looking back on his experiences, Ponyboy realizes that Dally cared so much about Johnny and the gang. He just wished that he had cherished Dally’s presence while he was

While Pony and Johnny are saving the kids from the fire, Dally yells at them to leave the kids in the building and run. Basically, they are saying that Dally does not care for the lives of other people unless they are in the gang. However, Johnny is the last person that Dally loves, basically the only reason he is alive. When Johnny dies, Dally can’t take it and commits suicide. This shows that he wanted Johnny, who he loves, to at least live.

Dally in the book found his identity in conflict which then made it’s way to him killing himself. Johnny and the gang impacted Dally a great deal. The gang and being a Greaser was Dally’s identity and he loved that about himself. Johnny played an immense role in Dally’s life. When Johnny died Dally’s life fell apart because Johnny was like a brother to Dally (quote that talks about Johnny being like a brother to Dally chapter 10).

Johnny knows and sees the good there is in the world; Dally sees only the bad. When heading to the hospital, Dally rants to Ponyboy. “ ‘That’s what you get for helpin’ people. Editorials in the paper and a lot of trouble. . . .’ (147)” Dally feels that there is no reason to help anyone besides Johnny. Johnny is the only one Dally cares about and he receives the ultimate demise as a way of showing how he should help people. Dally knows that if something happens to Johnny, he has nothing to live for. Unlike Dally, Johnny knows that somewhere, everyone has good in them. Johnny tells Ponyboy in his letter, “There’s still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don’t think he

That’s gallant,” it was the time when Johnny was explaining to Ponyboy the reasons why Dally reminds him of the gallant Southern general in Gone With The Wind. What he’s basically trying to say is that Dally cared very much for his friends and wanted to keep him out of trouble even if it meant he had to take the blame for himself. Plus, he was already so accustomed to getting in trouble, therefore it wasn’t really such a big issue. Dally wasn’t exactly the most perfect person out there but behind those despicable behaviors and casual facade, he’s able to show concern and bravery when it comes to his friends subtly. Times when he sacrifices his time for his friends, they weren’t very blatant.