Similarities And Differences Between Caxas In The Outsiders

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.

Another similarity that makes Johnny and Dally similar is through their value of life. Dally has never really cared about what happens to him. He goes around trying to break laws and getting caught, going to jail, getting out, and then repeating. He never really cares about how he turns out and what will happen to him. He has never respected his life. He gets in fights all the time and is mean. When he kills himself just because Johnny died, he gave up on the world. Everyone knew he would die like this, “I knew he would be dead, because Dallas Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted” (154). His value of his life is very little and when Johnny dies he brakes. Similarly, Johnny’s value in life is limited. In the letter he wrote to Ponyboy, he talks about how

Although Dally and Johnny have a lot of similarities, they also have many differences. One of their many differences is that Johnny is law abiding and Dally is the complete opposite. Dally got in trouble with the police when he is ten years old. He likes to break laws and do things the illegal way. As Ponyboy says of Dally, “Dally hated to do things the legal way. He liked to show that he didn’t care whether there was a law or not” (20). Dally never follows the law. Conversely, Johnny is extremely law abiding and has absolutely no record with the police. When Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally are all in Windrixville, Johnny decides he wants to turn himself in. He says to Dally, “‘I ain’t got no record with the fuzz and it was self-defense’”(87). He never gets in trouble with the police, and he feels that if he turns himself in, then he will receive a light sentence. This shows that Johnny has never had a complication with the police, on the other hand, Dally first got arrested at the age of ten and keeps getting arrested.

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.

Johnny Cade comes from a broken home, his dad hits him, his mom does not care about Johnny, the only thing he has are his friends, the greasers. Ponyboy, one of his closest friends, is talking about everyone in the gang and when he came to Johnny he said, “Johnny had it awful rough at home”(4). Johnny unlike everyone else in the gang, except Dally, does not have someone in his family that truly cares for him. This affects him because it makes him upset that his parents do not care for him. If Johnny did not have it so hard at home, he would be more content and joyful, and even less scared. Johnny is a little bothered that his parents did not ask about Johnny so Dally goes on and says, “‘my old man don’t give a hang whether i’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter’” (88). When Dally is 10, he gets arrested and is on the streets of New York, which shows how little Dally’s father cares about him. Maybe if his father did care, Dally would be more kind and caring, and like Johnny, more joyful. If Dally’s dad cared, he may still be living with his parents and would not be a greaser. Dally and Johnny are

Johnny hates fighting most of them all. He will always do the right thing never getting into fights except for when he was jumped. Johnny said to Dally and Pony that fighting is “‘Useless... fighting's no good....”’(148). Johnny was disappointed in them for fighting the soc’s he disagrees with all fighting. Unlike Johnny, Dally loves to fight.Dally is a tough greaser who does not waste anytime creating a problem if he has the opportunity. Dally is always looking to start a problem with the police and other people. The matter of facts, even his friends try their hardest to stay on his friendly side. Ponyboy says of Dallas, “One time, in a dime store, a guy told him to move over at the candy counter. Dally had turned around and belted him so hard it knocked a tooth loose. A complete stranger, too” (24). Dally has a bad temper, and he is not afraid to fight with anyone. Most of the time he will find ways to break laws randomly. Looking up to what I have stated you can tell they are two completely different people at

Dally Winston and Johnny Cade have a similarity of having abusive parents. For example, Dally’s parents do not pay attention to him at all. Dally is talking to Johnny about his father; “‘Shoot my old man don’t give a hang

Dally loves Johnny and never hits Johnny even when Johnny talked back to him. He always liked Ponyboy’s mom who brought out the best in Dally. He used to say, “Your mom sure does know the score, Pony.” Behind all that toughness, Dallas Winston does love some things, and he still has

Johnny Cade literally is the main character in the book, The Outsiders in a subtle way. He for the most part is described as a ‘puppy that’s been actually kicked too sort of many times.’ Even though he particularly is only sixteen, Johnny definitely has been scared by the Socs to the point of carrying a switchblade in his pocket in a big way. One of Johnny’s inspirations for all intents and purposes is Dallas Winston and his ability to definitely get through life without family or parents. He is happy when Dally tells him he is proud of Johnny right before he dies, which mostly is fairly significant.

Johnny and Dally come from a similar background of unloving parents. While The Outsiders novel does not tell the reader that Dally’s parents are not giving dally the attention that is needed, Dally does tell Ponyboy and Johnny, “‘Shoot, my old man don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter’”(88). While Dally only talks about his family one time, it allows the reader to infer the kind of childhood Dally had. Johnny also had a poor childhood due to his parents, when the narrator describes why Johnny does not go home with Ponyboy, the narrator states that,“Johnny’s parents didn’t care if he came home or not”(49). Apart from the beatings his parents give him, they also did not care about his well being. But their abusive parents did give Johnny and Dally a similarity, but also shaped the two greasers’ behavior.

Have you ever had two friends that are enemies? In the story, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, Cherry Valance (her real name is Sherri) is a fashionable, fiery, red headed, emotional, understanding, and trustworthy friend. The story took place in the mid 1960’s in Tulsa, OK. Greasers and Socs are two very different, yet same groups, which most definitely do not get along. After Ponyboy and Johnny got jumped, Johnny killed Bob, a Soc who was also Cherry’s boyfriend. During Ponyboy and Johnny’s hiding out in an abandoned church, the church starts on fire, while the children are playing in there. Johnny and Ponyboy somehow made their way back in to save the kids. Johnny and Ponyboy both made it out alive. Unfortunately, however, Johnny gets out with severe burns and a broken back. While he is in the hospital, Cherry has a conflict with herself: she is asked by Ponyboy to go see Johnny in the hospital, but she says no because she doesn’t want to face the person who killed Bob. In the time of the trial, Cherry and other Soc’s testify and come clean about the night of the stabbing. Consequently, since they told the truth, Johnny, Sodapop, and Darry all got to stay together. Cherry Valance is an emotional, caring, and trustworthy friend.

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

Nobody was ever going to jump him like that again. Not over his dead body…” (Hinton 34). When Johnny got jumped by the Socs, he became more aware of himself and his surroundings. Throughout this experience he has become a completely different and mature person. Later on in the book Johnny and Ponyboy are jumped by the same group of Socs and Johnny ended up accidentally killing one of them. In the process of leaving town and trying to get away with murder, Johnny died while saving children in a burning building. Everyone in the gang was affected by this, especially Dally. Dally was notorious for breaking laws, stealing, and acting rude towards everybody. Ponyboy described Dally like an emotionless rock that nobody could break. “Johnny was the only thing Dally ever loved. And now Johnny was gone. ‘So he finally broke.’ Two-Bit spoke everyone’s feelings. ‘So even Dallas has a breaking point’” (Hinton 152). When Johnny died, Dally’s personality changed. At this point in the book it is evident that Dally thought of Johnny less like a friend and more like a son. This could lead one to believe that Dally has become more mature and grew throughout the

the rumbles he attended. Taking into account all the hardships he experienced throughout his life, Dally formed an unbreakable tough and cold shell surrounding him. But his had a weakness: Johnny. Dallas Winston considered it his life-duty to protect Johnny from harm, and to take revenge on those who harms him.

A theme is noticed in Wilcox’s poem was to “live life to the fullest.” In The Outsiders two characters Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade would fit perfectly with this theme. Dallas Winston or Dally was almost like a gang member to his friends, who lived on the edge and was always getting himself into trouble. Everytime he was mentioned or came along in the book he would be getting