Dally: An Example Of An Outsider

What does it take to not be an outsider and to fit in with everybody else? Ponyboy Curtis in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders tries to explain that he and his friends, the Greasers, are more than just thugs. They have low external expectations which also leads to low internal expectations. His friends have all grown up in poor conditions. His best friend, Johnny, is constantly beat at home and is only himself when he is with the gang. The Greasers are rivals with the Socs, a rich gang made of rich kids. Ponyboy thought that the Socs had it made, but after he meets Cherry he finds out that they also have external and internal expectations that make their lives not so made. Ponyboy and Cherry are outsiders because they see the world differently than the groups that they are in and have a window to escape stereotype threat and into society where they will be known as an individual, while Dally and Bob have decided that they are what their group is and they won’t have that window.

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

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 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

An outsider is someone who stands out from the crowd. They have their own beliefs, their own way or thinking. Standing out is often thought of in a negative way, but it can bring along many positive things. During the time period of Martin Luther King Jr., there were many protestors who began to stand up for themselves and their race. Even though many people did it, there were only a few people who started the movement, and those people, were outsiders. Two people who were outsiders from that time period were Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks. They stood against normal beliefs and tried to change the way of life, which is what many outsiders do. An outsider is not simply someone who is misjudged or misunderstood.

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

Another way Johnny and Dally are alike is that they both place little value on their own lives. Dally is always getting into trouble and disregarding the law. He does not care if he gets caught because Dally believes he has nothing to live for. After losing Johnny, Dally pulls a gun on the police. Ponyboy says, “I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted” (154). Dally knew the police would shoot him after he pulled out the gun, but Dally does not see a point to living anymore. He committed suicide due to feeling his life was not worth living. Dally’s action shows he does not value his life. Likewise, Johnny does not find his life valuable either. With all of the abuse Johnny endured in his life, he feels so worthless to the point where he does not want to live anymore. In the letter he wrote to Ponyboy, it is clear he feels this way. Johnny writes, “Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for” (178). Johnny is referring to the kids he saved in the church; he places more value on the kids’ lives than his own because Johnny feels he does not have a purpose for living. An additional example of Johnny placing little value on his life is when he and Ponyboy are in the lot. Johnny says, “‘I’ll kill myself or something’”

What exactly is an outsider? Does it apply to an individual or does it apply to the world? Is the principle a positive or a negative concept? An outsider is an individual who does not “fit” into society or isolates themselves from the rest. “The Outsiders” is a novel written based on the author, S.E Hinton’s, high school years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The book is mainly about the division between the greasers and the Soc. The Soc is higher class and rich, but the greasers are the opposite. The reason why she wrote this novel is that she found the social situation in her school purely ridiculous and she was upset by this. Usually, in these types of situations, the majority will choose a side between the greasers and the Soc because

When the word outsider comes to mind, you may think of a person who is not part of a certain group or activity. Well, in the novel “The outsiders,” writer S.E. Hinton tells a story that takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma about two teenage groups; the greasers and the Socs. Sometimes, it can be hard to identify what social group you’d think you’d fall under. In the novel, the greasers and the Socs are stereotyped by their peers and they feel like outsiders. But as the story unfolds, they realize that they need to set aside their differences and not assume each other’s personalities based on the social groups that they’re in.

Especially Dally looks after Johnny because he loves Johnny. Dally understands the struggle Johnny is going through with his parents, making him connected to Johnny. Dallas is tough and hard, however he takes care of Johnny like he’s his younger brother. When Johnny passes away, Pony realizes, “Johnny was the only thing Dally loved” (152). Pony is surprised that Dally can’t handle Johnny’s death because Dally has been through a lot of hardship and poverty in his life. Dallas is older, wiser, and tougher than Ponyboy, who is fourteen however, Dally only loves Johnny and he can’t accept his death. Likewise, Johnny cares about Dally more than anyone in the group. When they are at the drive in movie, Johnny stands up to Dally while he is harassing Cherry and Marcia. Dally doesn’t hit Johnny, proving he loves him very much. Surprisingly, Johnny talked back to Dally even though Johnny is timid and Dally is his idol. Pony watches in shock and thinks, “Johnny worshiped the ground Dally walked on, and I had never heard Johnny talk back to anyone, much less his hero” (25). Johnny only wants the best for Dally and it is hard for him to see his role model make bad decisions. The two greasers wouldn’t be able to live without each other because they are so attached to each

In the novel, The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, Johnny made a choice that ultimately drove the plot. Johnny made a big choice when he decided to kill one of the Socs to protect ponyboy. There are some reasons Johnny made that choice as shown in the text when he says “ I had to, they were drowning you pony”[Hinton 56]. Ponyboy was extremely grateful that Johnny did that but he was also very nervous because people were going to find out that one of the gang members from Socs has been killed. If Johnny didn’t make that sacrifice then Ponyboy would have probably not have made it as Johnny explains in the text when he says, “They might have killed you”[Hinton 56]. Ponyboy was more focused on what they were gonna do to cover everything up instead of

In making the decision to save Ponyboy at the cost of the Soc’s life, Johnny did the right thing and matured in the process. Johnny and Ponyboy were forced to make another critical decision later on in the book that caused extreme consequences. When Johnny and Ponyboy had run into a burning church to save kids that were trapped, the two and Dally were all forced to make life and death decisions in a split second. A man had praised Ponyboy by saying, “‘I swear, you three are the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time. First you and the black-haired kid climbing in the back window, and then the tough-looking kid going back in to save him’”

At the time, Johnny felt as though he was taking control of his life in the only way that he thought was possible. This single act of aggression followed a series of events that lead Ponyboy on a path of self-examination, where he began to question the reasons for conflict between the Socs and Greasers. As stated by Ponyboy, “A fair fight isn’t rough […]. Blades are rough. So are chains and heaters and pool sticks and rumbles. Skin fighting isn’t rough. It blows off steam better than anything” (Hinton). Such activities allow the teenagers to build characterization by releasing their endless supply of energy and pent-up aggression. Also, the novel demonstrates author inflicted violence or death and suffering when Johnny died from his severe injuries after he rescued children from a burning building. Johnny’s act of honorable sacrifice allowed Ponyboy and his friends to rise beyond their lives of gangs and violence. The senselessness of all the violence that occurred throughout the novel allowed teenagers to grow and develop a different perspective of the world. Ponyboy came

Authors pick a title of their novel to summarize the meaning of the book within a phrase. S.E Hinton never used the word outsider in the novel, but it still obtains great importance to the story. Personally, an outsider means someone who doesn’t blend into a discrete group. Whether it be the style of clothes or their personality or their social status, outsiders are outside the standard. Ponyboy’s family structure was the polar opposite of normal. When comparing Pony’s 3 teenager family struggling to stay together and pay rent and the rich Soc families with two parents who are there for support, Pony feels excluded by not remembering what it feels like to be engulfed in love by his own parents. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy flashes back to

Outsiders are those who are misjudged and misunderstood. They are misjudged and misunderstood because people in our world can not accept people who are different from themselves. Also people have certain expectations for other people. One other thing is that people come from different backgrounds. They are raised differently, so that is an affect on how they are.