The Outsiders Character Traits

Register to read the introduction… His personality stands out as the gentle one of the gang, but he “was a good fighter and could play it cool, but he was sensitive and that isn't a good way to be when you're a greaser” (88). Ponyboy knows that Johnny could fight if he needed but Johnny says “fighting’s no good. . . .” (148). He believes that fighting does not answer the problems the greasers and the Socs have. Before Johnny died he wrote a note in Gone With the Wind and left the book for Ponyboy. His philosophy on fighting is the opposite of the average greaser, and instead of telling Ponyboy to become a fighter and be tough he remind him to “Stay Gold” (148). Pony has an outlook on life in an innocent way like a child and does not need to change it because he is a greaser. On the other hand, Dally is tough. Most likely the toughest of the gang. He loves to fight and does not hesitate to do so. Dallas will fight over the littlest things and even members of his own gang are afraid of him. He goes looking for trouble and fights he can join because he “was of the breed that could take anything, because he was hard and tough” (88). Things did not bother Dallas as they bothered Johnny. He is strong and not afraid to go at someone. Dallas believed that greasers have to be tough so …show more content…
For example, Johnny's parents neglect him in ways that parents should not. It does not matter to them whether or not he comes home at night. They abuse Johnny constantly by hitting him, scolding him, and ignoring him. When Johnny’s father hits him he finds it to be a good thing because it means his parents actually notice him. His parents yell at him for reasons not even he understands. Johnny’s mother and father ignore him which in Johnny’s eyes feels like the worst form of abuse. Johnny wants his parents to recognize him being home and cared about. After he ran off to Windrixville and Dallas came to stay with them Johnny hoped that his mother and father had asked where he had gone off to, but in no surprise his parents had not said a thing about him. They truly do not care. When Johnny was burned and in the hospital his mother finally came to see him but at that point he said “I don’t want to see her. [. . . ] She’s probably come to tell me about how glad her and the old man’ll be when I’m dead” (122). That is displeasing when he finally gets noticed it comes as a scolding of what he did wrong. Two-Bit and Pony saw her in the hall outside of the hospital room. She places the blame on the gang. Johnny’s mother says that the gang does not deserve to see Johnny because she and her husband have gone through the trouble of raising him and he chooses his friends over them. This happens