Being Honorable In S. E. Hinton's The Outsider

What does being honorable mean? To be honorable is to stick to what is right or to a code of conduct. In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, the Greasers are a part of a gang that treat each other almost like brothers. They fulfill to a code of honor and respect among their own gang. Even though the Greasers are hoodlums, they are still honorable because they have good intentions, they stick up for each other, and they stick together. Although the Greasers were committing crimes, their intentions were pure. When Johnny killed Bob, it was purely out of self defense. Johnny had no other choice, Ponyboy and him would’ve both been killed if he didn’t stab the Soc, a member from a different, richer gang that lives at the North Side of town. It was either Bob’s life or both of the Greasers’ lives. Johnny even claims this himself as he says, “... I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade… they were gonna beat me up.. ” (57). This shows that Johnny killed Bob out of self defense because the Soc would have drowned Ponyboy and beat up Johnny if not. Therefore, the Greasers are considered honorable because they intend to do the right thing. …show more content…
When the church was burning, Ponyboy and Johnny came running without hesitation. “‘I’ll get them, don’t worry!’ I started at a dead run for the church..” Ponyboy says (91). This means that the Greasers don’t only care about themselves but they care about the lives of others, no matter what the outcome might bring. It shows how Ponyboy would risk his own health and security to save the children from the burning church. Moreover, the said to be outlaws are showing acts of integrity because they expose themselves to dangerous situations to help out others. Hence, the gang members have integrity because they put themselves at risk for other