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Essay / Analysis of the characters Ponyboy, Soda Pop and Darry in The Outsiders
“They grew up outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong. it's written on the poster for the movie Outsider. In The Outsiders by SE Hinton, a fiction book, three brothers, Dally, Sodapop and Ponyboy, struggle the most on the path of outsider in their society. They are brothers whose parents died and all three are part of a gang. Their gang is made up of strong young boys who experienced brutal situations growing up. Later in the story, three greasers show boldness and save children in a life-threatening situation, which sets them apart completely. The three characters who clearly demonstrate alienness in this story are Dally, Johnny and Ponyboy. The novel takes place in the east of a small town, the three brothers Ponyboy, Soda pop and Darry live together in an old dilapidated house. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The first character, Dally, is like an outsider, in which he leads a lonely and almost pointless life. His life seems mostly desolate and sad, especially because of his difficult childhood. At the beginning of the story, Ponyboy gets jumped by Socs, his gang finds him and they chase Socs away. This is when the author begins to describe the gang. The author writes: "Dally had spent three years on the wild side of New York and was arrested at the age of ten." Ponyboy tells readers about Dally's childhood because it had a great effect on Dally when he was young. This is seen as Dally certainly displays more exclusivity than the other members of the gang due to his childhood. The second reason why he is a stranger is that he has no one to love and therefore leads a desolate life. Midway through the story, Dally takes Ponyboy and Johnny to a restaurant after visiting them in Windrixville. After getting some food, Johnny asked Dally if his parents cared about him running away. Ponyboy received a letter from his brothers showing him that they cared about his escape and Johnny received nothing. Johnny was disappointed even though he knew his parents didn't care. He asked Dally if he had heard from his parents, and then Dally told him that his parents obviously didn't care. Dally ended up telling Johnny that his own parents never cared about him either and that didn't bother him at all. The author wrote: “Shoot, my old man doesn't care if I'm in prison, dead in a car accident or drunk in the gutter. It doesn't bother me at all. Dally has no parents who love him, he leads a solitary life, unlike the other members of the gang, which makes him an outsider. The final reason why Dally clearly demonstrates his exclusion in his gang is that he does not care about his own life. Towards the end of the story, Johnny dies, which gets into Dally's head and causes him to rob a store. As the gang discovers this, they run to the park to help Dally cover up the store robbery. The author writes: "Dally had reached the circle of light under the street lamp, and skidded to a stop, he turned and pulled a black object from his belt... And even as the police's gun spat fire in the night, I knew that was what Dally wanted.” In this situation, Dally doesn't care about life as much as his gang does, which sets him apart. In conclusion, all the events that happened to Dally show that he is mostly like an outsider. Johnny's character is identified as an outsider through his selfless, emotional, and loyal self. At the beginning of the story, just after Ponyboy.