The_Outsiders.Docx

The Outsiders, tells of the social clashes that occur in a small town, and the heroic boys (The Greasers) that have to endure them. Through all of the struggles the boy’s face, they are forced to make plenty of difficult decisions. Johnny and Darry are two of the bravest characters in the novel. They are constantly watching out for others and protecting the people around them to the best of their ability. These qualities label them heroes. Johnny and Darry are constantly proving their heroism by their courageous actions. Throughout the novel, Johnny is described as “a puppy that has been kicked too many times”. Even though Johnny is only 16 years old, he has already been beaten down by the cruelty of the world. When he isn’t being beaten by his father, he is being ignored by his mother. His parents seem to have no concern for him at all. In addition to this, he suffered a brutal beating from his rival group, the Socs, and now lives in constant fear. Johnny has always been a hero, simply for living through every obstacle that he’s faced with, but his heroic qualities are first magnified at the park. One night as Johnny and Ponyboy are alone at the park, a group of Socs drives up in their blue mustang. When the drunken Socs take it too far and begin to drown Pony, Johnny pulls out his switchblade and kills Bob, the Soc who had been drowning Pony. Though his actions are violent shows his love for Pony. He commits murder to save the life of his innocent friend. This accident ends with the boys hiding out in an old church in Windrixville. When Johnny and Pony return to the church they discover a group of kids trapped in the burning church. Johnny jumps into the building immediately, and rushes to save the kids. With help from Pony, he lifts each kid safely out the church window. Once all the kids are safely out, he tells Pony to get out. This leaves the Johnny in while the church caves in which leaves Johnny in a critical condition