The Outsiders - Heros

The Outsiders Heroes
The book ‘The Outsiders’ by S.E. Hinton is a story told from the perspective of a 14 year old boy named Ponyboy set in South West America. In the novel he faces social division, gang warfare, hatred and violence. One example is Dally is a hero because he looked after his friends when they needed him. In a way, all of the Greasers are pioneers in their individual ways, but some more than others. People are also heroes for different reasons. To some people it might be if someone does something courageous, for another person they might think that it is standing up for what they believe in, or even someone who stands up for their friends and will stick by them no matter what. All three of these views of what a hero is defined as is shown in the novel, which gives the book a real character in its self.
Ponyboy Curtis is the main character in ‘The Outsiders.’ A brilliant personality trait that Ponyboy has is loyalty which makes him a hero both in the physical deeds he does and also his attitude towards social division. One of the things that Ponyboy did physically that was courageous was running into the Church to save the children. He also stood up to the Socs at the park by saying to them that they were “White trash with Mustangs and madras.” His loyalty is displayed a few times throughout the book. Firstly, he sticks up for Johnny after he stabs Bob and he supports him all the way until he dies at the end. He also stands by the gang and fights with them in the rumble even though he was not feeling well. Ponyboy is a great person who sees that people should be treated the same and is courageous.
Throughout the novel it is strongly evident that Johnny Cade is one of the most courageous characters. When Johnny runs into the burning church to save the children he doesn’t hesitate at all. He also ran into the church to back up Ponyboy. This shows that he stuck by his friends and put the wellbeing of others before himself. Another reason why I think Johnny was a hero is because his home life was very hard but he got on with his life and put up with it. When he was in the hospital he finally stood up to his mother by saying that he didn’t want to see her. Also it is proved that Johnny did whatever he had to in order to protect his friends when he killed Bob to save Ponyboy. Johnny was a strongly brave character even though he was a nervous wreck.
Cherry Valance is a more subtle hero throughout the novel. She isn’t like Johnny or Ponyboy and she didn’t do anything like run into a burning church. She stood up for herself and had good social intelligence which enabled her to see that the only differences between the Socs and the Greasers were money and what society labelled them as. When Bob was threatening Ponyboy, Johnny and Two-bit near the drive in movies because they were hanging around with Cherry, she took it upon herself to resolve the situation and go with Bob even though she was scared because he was drunk and she didn’t want to be any part of that. Her personality shines through her choices in the book, especially when she is saying about how there was ‘…. Another side to Bob that made people want to follow him.’ This presents that she looks for the good in people which is a great personality trait to have. It is very evident that Cherry is a hero even though she did not do anything physically brave. She is a peace keeper who ‘Can’t stand fights’ and who is courageous in the social aspect which makes her a brave person.
Overall, it is strongly evident that people can be heroes for all different reasons, and the book contains several examples of this. These heroic acts and people are what makes ‘The Outsiders’ complete. Without them the plot would seem somewhat shallow and pale. Ponyboy is a hero for saving the children and sticking by his friends. Johnny is a hero for killing Bob to save Ponyboy and for dealing with his home life. Lastly, Cherry is a hero for seeing the good in the Greasers and being a peace keeper. In the end there are heroes from both the Gresers and the Socs which proves that whatever side you are on, you can still be brave.