Johnny's Last Words To Ponyboy

Ponyboy is gold. He is helpful and smart, but he’s a greaser and well that’s fine to some people...to others it’s just not acceptable. Even though Ponyboy and Johnny hit the road after Bob was killed he still deserved better. Ponyboy had potential and he is going places, I can tell. Ponyboy has had many losses in his life, Mom, Dad, Johnny, and Dally, but he is strong. That’s all he is going to need to be.

Although they are all different ages they all stay friends. They support each other through hard family times, for example; during the novel. Friendship is especially shown when Ponyboy runs away to hide with Johnny, so that Johnny don’t get into trouble with the police after killing a socs. Johnny shows that he cares about Ponyboy, but taking him back home to be with his two brothers. At the end of the novel, friendship is shown by Dally, committing suicide, as he can’t handle to live without Johnny.

Johnny was also loyal to Ponyboy because he went right behind Ponyboy which meant he had his back and he would always have his

Earlier in the novel Ponyboy talks about a poem with Johnny, but he does not quite understand the meaning of it. Before Johnny passes away he recites the line to Pony in hopes that he can learn something from it. Johnny says to Pony, “Stay gold, Pony. Stay gold…” (148). Johnny writes a letter to Pony and puts it in a book that he gives to him. In the letter Johnny explains that the quote means to stay innocent or free of all the bad things in life--Pony learns that even if the world seems bad, there is always good in it and there will always be. He wants to share this lesson with as many people as possible, so he decides to make that happen by starting with his English teacher. Not only do Johnny's words of wisdom change Pony, but so do all of the other events in his life.

Later, Johnny conveys his guilt to Ponyboy when he says: “‘There sure is a lot of blood in people.’”(Hinton 74), nearly quoting Shakespeare in Macbeth. In a later conversation with Johnny, Ponyboy gets thinking about this new world he has been thrust into. In the text he says: “I liked my books and clouds and sunsets. Dally was so real he scared me.”(Hinton 76) This shows how Ponyboy likes when the hero can beat the villain and get a pretty sunset at the end. But now Ponyboy has to deal with the real-world effects of violence, and he doesn’t like it. This marks one of Ponyboy’s first major changes of his mindset on violence.

Johnny was the one that needed his friends the most, with a dad that beat him, and a mom that ignored him, until she needed something to yell at, then she yelled at him so loud Ponyboy could hear it from down the street. Due to this abusive relationship with his parents, Johnny needed something, or someone to fall back on, this was the gang, including Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Two-Bit, Dally, and Steve. Johnny often slept over at Ponyboy's when life at home was especially hard, and Ponyboy even claimed "He would have ran away a million times if we weren't there"

Johnny and Ponyboy share a lot in common, 'Johnnycakes' is the "Gang-pet" and Ponyboy is a "Tag-a-long" follower of his brothers and other members of the gang. Both of them are somewhat misfits in this band of social misfits but nevertheless Johnny and Ponyboy share in common is the fact that both still maintain and uphold their 'gold.' On Johnny's deathbed he asks that Ponyboy "Stay[s] Gold" because in a sense Johnny and his 'gold' is leaving them every fleeting second in this cruel world, effectively now moments before his death Johnny's already lost all of his, he's killed a man, lived on the run, had a burning building fall on him and is about to utter his last words. Ponyboy knows Johnny never deserved this fate, it could have been any one of the gang members and he wouldn't have felt half the pain "But not Johnnycakes, he didn't deserve any of this." Johnny lost his innocence and died early, not free but still young, no one could have foreseen this but now the only thing still certain in their unstable world, Johnny kept everyone together, Johnny

“‘Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be.’” (Hinton 178) This note explained what Johnny was thinking, wanting Ponyboy to stay caring and to stay thoughtful.

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.

Johnny’s last words to Ponyboy were, “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…”. I found this in Chapter 9, on pg. 148. Johnny is referring to the poem that can be found in Chapter 5, on pg. 78. When Johnny tells Ponyboy to stay gold, he is referring to the fact that Ponyboy was innocent when Johnny killed Bob. In the poem, gold is the first hue of nature, the hardest to hold, which also symbolizes children’s innocence.

Dally breaking up in the hospital and crumbling in the streets is almost meaning how Dally reacted to Johnny died and then leaded up to him dying. The parts where Ponyboy says “don’t think of” this is to take it off his mind and try to feel better about the two deaths. The greasers also respect Ponyboy, for example, during an argument towards the end of the book Darry said to Ponyboy “Sure, little buddy” (84). Another example of the greasers respecting Ponyboy is how Johnny helps Ponyboy feel better a lot of in a lot of conflicts. For instance, getting hit or getting almost drowned. Ponyboy positively accepted being a greaser and he is committed to being a greaser.

Ponyboy said he would be dead if he didn't have the gang members. Johnny is the youngest in the gang. He was jumped by Socs and was seriously injured that he almost died. He had psychology impact on the Socs, he would shiver and be frighten whenever he sees a Soc. On the day he left with Ponyboy, they met a group of Socs. Since the Soc called Bob almost drowned Ponyboy to death, he killed Bob. Johnny admired Dally a lot. He wishes Dally could be proud of him for even just once. He wanted to be as tough and cool as Dally but he never succeeds. Johnny was kicked out of school and that was how Ponyboy thought he wasn't clever. Sometimes Johnny understood things better than Ponyboy in the book which was called Gone with the Wind. Johnny had the interest and talent in reading books but no one in the gang except Ponyboy was good enough to talk about these. He wasn't really close with Ponyboy before they ran away together so they didn't have a talk. Johnny also loved to watch sunsets and sunrises but no one in the gang could have spared time to watch or even talk about this. All Johnny couldn't express mad him alienated from the gang members. The only one he was close to was Dally. Dally cared for his all time and would risk his life for whatever happens on Johnny. Such as lending a gun or killing a Soc. Dally wouldn't hesitate as long as it was for

Johnny is ponyboyś best friend who stays with him and sticks up for him no matter what, this portrays loyalty. We see the true extent of Johnnyś loyalty when the group of socs attack Pony and Johnny in the empty lot, as one the of the the boys is drowning Pony in the well Johnny stabbed Bob (the leader of the socs) to death in order to save Ponyboyś life. Johnny is caring for Pony when he talked to Pony in the empty lot after Darry had hit him, even though at home Johnnyś life is much worse, also Johnny showed his caring when he let Pony sleep on his shoulder after he cried himself to sleep in the abandoned church on Jay mountain. We learn alot from Johnnyś very humble actions, we learn to always stick up for your friends no matter what. Johnny is beaten at home and has a rough life, but he doesnt complain he just is an all around good guy. Johnny is very important in Ponyś life because he sticks with him

Johnny wants Ponyboy to turn themselves in. Johnny said “I said we’re goin’ back and turn ourselves.” Although they do not get to this point to turn themselves in, Jonny knows right from wrong and wants to do what is right. Johnny is courageous to tell Dally and Ponyboy exactly how he feels about that situation.