The Outsiders Can two people be brought up the same way, but end up completely different? Well, in the the book The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, the author shows how Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston, two characters from The Outsiders, are similar in some ways and different in others. Both characters are brought up by horrible parents who are abusive and neglectful. They both also put little value in their lives. Unlike Johnny, Dallas loves fighting. Johnny follows almost all laws while Dally can not do anything that follows the law. Dally and Johnny have similarities, but they also have distinct differences. Both Johnny and Dally may be different people, but both of them are brought up by vulgar and ignoring parents. In the novel The Outsiders, …show more content…
After Johnny dies, Dally storms off from the hospital because he is distraught. He goes and robs a store for no apparent reason until Ponyboy says, “ He was dead before he hit the ground. But I knew that was what he wanted”(154). Dally pulls out an unloaded gun on the police even though he knows this will end up with the police killing. Dally makes rash decisions and does not put value into his life. Similarly, Johnny also puts little value into his own life. Many times in the novel, Johnny talks about how “ I’ll kill myself or something”(47). Later in the novel, Pony picks up Gone With The Wind, the book Johnny leaves him before he dies, and sees that there is a letter from Johnny inside. He reads the letter and it says, “Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids”(178). Johnny puts more value in the kids’ lives he saves more than his own life. Both Johnny and Dally clearly do not put value into their own lives. Even though Johnny and Dally have similarities, they have differences ; Johnny hates fighting, while Dally loves fighting. When Two-bit goes to the hospital, Dally asks for Two-bit’s switchblade. He persuades(threatens) the nurse to let him leave. He shows up at the rumble and says, : Don’t you know a rumble ain’t a rumble unless I’m in it”(144). Even though he’s still hurt, he goes out of his way to go to the rumble just because he
While Ponyboy is riding to the hospital after the church fire a man says, “‘I swear, you three are the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time . . . “‘ (95) Johnny is part of the three that are considered heroes. After Dally died the author states that “Dally didn’t die a hero. He died violent, and young and desperate.”(94) Dally pulled an unloaded gun on the police and it made them draw their guns and shoot him. Dally basically committed suicide because the police did not know that the gun was not loaded, so they had to protect themselves while Dally was hung out to die.
Although Dally and Johnny share some alike traits, they also have many differences. For example, Dally is a tenacious, villainous, and a greaser while Johnny is a polite, perceptive, and craven greaser.
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.
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.
How can two characters that have such a similar lifestyle, be so extremely different? In the novel, The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, the author proves that such instances happen. Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade have very similar lives, but are completely different people. Johnny is more of a sensitive person and always likes to follow the rules. While Dallas on the other hand, loves to break the laws and do the wrong thing. These two characters are very similar on the inside, but are very different on the outside.
Johnny will sacrifice himself for others he doesn’t even know and for his gang. Similar to Dally but Dally does it only for people in the
For this reason, Johnny really stands out as a heroic character and shows the true meaning of his last words to Ponyboy, “Stay Gold”. There is no doubt that the character of Johnny Cade and the book, The Outsiders, is a true hero. Similarly, Dallas Winston is another hero in the book because he helped Johnny and Ponyboy escape from their small town and get to the church in Windrixville. Dallas helped Johnny and Ponyboy get to Windrixville after Johnny killed Bob, the Soc, to save Ponyboy from being drowned in the fountain. To help Johnny and Ponyboy escape to Windrixville, Dallas told the boys, “‘Here’ he handed us a gun and a roll of bills ‘the gun’s
During the church fire, a falling timber hits Johnny, Dally runs in to save him, he runs into a collapsing building without any second thought, and risks his life to save Johnny. Dally a criminal who has had many run-ins with the law, yet when given the choice he become a hero by rescuing Johnny. Dally especially loves Johnny. After the Greasers won the rumble he rushed to the hospital to notify Johnny. Johnny didn’t try to grin at him “Useless... Fighting’s no good...” (page 126) a moment later, “the pillow seemed to sink in a little and Johnny died” (page 126). Dally rushed through the hallway, he packed an unloaded gun and took his car to rob a store and when the police showed up, he pulled out his unloaded gun and then he let himself get shot by the police because living without Johnny isn’t living. After, the impact of the bullet; there was a “grim triumph on his face” (page 186). Ponyboy utters “I knew that’s what he wanted” (page 186) he wanted to die because he lost Johnny, he was all he had living without Johnny was no living so it better to die. If Dally could die for someone in the way, I would consider him to be brave and a hero.
Although Johnny and Dally have multiple differences, they are similar because they both care about each other. When Johnny tells Dally he wants to turn himself in, Dally pleads for Johnny not to turn himself in. Dally talks to Johnny in a tone he never uses and says “‘You get hardened in jail. I don’t want that to happen to you. Like it happened to me . . .’” (90). Dally cares about Johnny because he sees Johnny as the person he would be if he would be like if he is not cold and
But I knew that was what he wanted” (154). Even though Johnny got burned when he was saving the lives of the little kids in the church he still does not regret it, “It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for” (178). Johnny’s cause for dying was to save lives, Dally’s death just cost him his
In what way can two people that have grown up with the same lifestyle be so different but at the same time so similar. It seems unrealistic. However, in S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, two characters with such characteristics exist. Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston are two greasers that at similar because they both place little value on their lives and have parents who don’t give them the attention they need. Despite the similarities these two have, Dally and Johnny have their own divergence from each other such as giving different advice and getting in trouble with the law. Thus, their lifestyle and way of living Jonny Cade and Dallas Winston have some unique differences and strong similarities.
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
Hinton has demonstrated the relationship between Dally and Johnny as being one of deep brotherly love and protection, as Dally sees Johnny as a broken reflection of himself and tries to protect him from what Dally has become. When Johnny commits a horrific crime, without hesitation hands him protection, money and a place to stay, even if it means going to jail himself. ' Dally risking his life for us, trying to keep Johnny out of trouble' (pg.187) He is so afraid of losing Johnny he will do anything in his power to protect him and keep him out of trouble. Hinton weaves their connection close together through their personal experiences and their hardships of life connecting them on a deeper level and building a stronger relationship. When Johnny dies, Hinton demonstrates the devastating effect it places on Dally, causing him to take his own life. '
Besides his protective attitude, he is also very emphatic when he joined Pony at the hospital. They went to visit Johnny right before he died to say goodbye. Dally had told him that they won the rumble and that he was still a hero. He then told Johnny, “‘We’re all proud of you, buddy.’ Johnny’s eyes glowed. Dally was proud of him. That was all Johnny had ever wanted”(148). This demonstrates his genuine character by how much compassion and sincerity is in his voice. He tells Johnny he’s proud of him, but he truly means it, not just as a way for him to pass happy. In other words, Dally is genuine in many ways, such as when Pony, Johnny, and Dally were on their way back to the church. Johnny had just decided to turn himself in, but Dally disagreed even after Johnny tried to convince him. He knew what would happen to him if he went to jail: “‘Johnny, I ain’t mad at you. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You don’t know what a few months in jail can do to
But once he sees Johnny it gives him something to love and care about. He made sure that Johnny didn’t become violent. He says in the book multiple times he cares about Johnny he said “Johnny…I just don’t want you to get hurt.” A quote also says that “Johnny was the only thing that Dally loved. And now Johnny was gone.” Later in the book Johnny dies and it is too much for Dally and he gets himself killed. Dally was so distraught, he wanted to be dead.