Comparing Dally And Johnny In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

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Have you ever came across two people who have opposite personalities but have so much in common? It does not seem possible, but it is. In S.E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders, two characters, Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade are very similar and also different at the same time. Dally and Johnny are very similar because both of their parents do not care about them, they ignore them, and they are are abusive and neglectful. Also, Dally and Johnny both place little value on their lives. They are different because Dally loves to fight, but Johnny hates fighting and Johnny is the most law abiding but Dally is the least law abiding. Therefore, Johnny and Dally both have very big similarities and differences in their lives. Dally and Johnny have …show more content…
For example, Dally places little value on his life a lot but most of all after Johnny dies. After Dally robs the grocery store he makes a run for it and then Ponyboy tells us, “Dally raised the gun and I thought: you blasted fool. They don’t know you’re only bluffing.”(154) At that point Dally is basically taking his life because shortly after the police shoot him. Ponyboy tells us that is was Dally intentionally wanted to happen. Likewise, when Johnny went into the burning church to rescue the children he was not thinking about his life at all, all he wanted to do was save those children. Johnny says, “Shut up! We’re goin’ to get you out!”(92) Johnny was putting his life in risk just so he could go into the church to save those kids. Even if it really was Johnny’s fault the church was burning, he still wants to help out the kids. Since Dally and Johnny both place little value on their lives, they have a major …show more content…
Dally loves fighting and Johnny hates fighting. Dally has the urge to fight in the rumble against the Socs. He talks the nurse into letting him out of the hospital with Two-Bit’s switchblade. When Dally comes running down to the rumble he says, ‘“Don’t you know a rumble ain’t a rumble unless I’m in it?”’(144) Dally is the biggest fighter of the gang and to have a rumble without Dally there is unheard of. On the other hand, Johnny is the complete opposite. He will never start a fight, and when the Socs beat him up he will not fight back. Whenever Johnny sees that blue mustang come down the road he gets scared because when the Socs beat him up last time they had cut his face with their rings and Johnny has a scar that will stay on his face forever. Johnny says, ‘“A blue mustang full… I got so scared…”’(33) Johnny is clearly not as tough as Dally and does not like to fight as much as Dally. Dally loving to fight and Johnny not liking to fight is something that certainly sets them

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