Character Analysis Of Johnny Cade In 'The Outsiders'

Inna Lyvytska 10-23-13
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Character Analysis Essay
Johnny Cade Ponyboy and his friends are caught in a hurricane of dramatic events that start after the night someone took it too far. After a couple of breath taking scenes, you race through the chapters in uncertainty. The events trip over each other in suspense that come to a jolting stop. In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, the author writes an exhilarating
novel based on a real life experience about socs and greasers. Johnny was one of many characters in novel. As you would read the novel you will agree that Johnny plays a major part in the plot. For one thing Johnny is a protagonist, who has a round and static personality. Johnny also isn’t a guy you would consider lucky. He has a traumatizing history that involve the socs and his parents. Even though life is hard, without the gang he would have never known what it felt like to be loved and cared for. In some scenes from the book we see that Johnny has a shy and quiet nature. Within the novel, Johnny is also braver and unpredictable then anyone thought. Throughout the entire book Johnny’s skittish/diffident, more stoicism and audacious ways are expressed in the book The Outsiders in a variety of forms. Sixteen year old Johnny Cade who according to Pony, looks like "a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers"(chapter 1 pages 11-12) is an individual I would describe as skittish and a diffident character. On page 14 we start to see Johnny’s shyness elope when Dally asked who wanted to come to the Nightly Double. Ponyboy answered Dally and said he and Johnny will come. Ponyboy knew Johnny wouldn’t open his mouth unless he was forced to, so he answered for him. Then on Chapter 2 page 22, Johnny acted timid. Pony and Johnny are talking to Cherry and Marcia and all Johnny can say is "hi," shyly. Then he gets nervous and tries to just watch the movie. Then Ponyboy says that Johnny is always nervous around strangers. Johnny is constantly nervous because even before the novel begins, Johnny has been beaten up by the Socs. As a result, Johnny watches out for the Socs with a suspicion, afraid of being hurt again. Then a little later on in the chapter on page 25, and we read that Two-Bit scared Johnny and Ponyboy. Two-Bit was behind Ponyboy and Johnny at the movies and in a deep voice said “Okay, greasers, you’ve had it” This remark scared them because Johnny probably thought it was a Soc so he looked as white as a ghost and was breathing in shallow breathes while he answered back weakly. Two-Bit knew better than to scare Johnny like that. In addition to that, on page 39 Ponyboy says that he has quite a rep for being quiet, almost as “Johnny. Two-Bit always said he wondered how Johnny and Ponyboy were such good buddies you must make such interestin’ conversation” he’d say cocking one eyebrow “You keeping your mouth shut and Johnny not saying anything”. However Johnny and Ponyboy understand each other without saying anything As a result Poor Johnny is a very skittish and diffident person. Based on different clues in the book Johnny lives his tuff life in stoicism. Johnny tries his best to be pure and find good in the world even though his parents are physically and or verbally abusing him while ignoring him too.
Johnny can stay away from home for long periods of time and neither of his parents seem to care or notice. Even though Johnny has bad role models, he's tries to stand up and be a good person. We’ve never see him being mean or mistreating others. He even challenges his idol, Dallas, when he sees how uncomfortable Dallas was is making Cherry and Marcia at the movies on pages 24. To make things even worse, Johnny was brutally beaten by the Socs last spring and now lives in a constant state of fear. On top of that, he doesn't quite get enough to eat, he often sleeps outdoors, and is even contemplating suicide. After Johnny saved the children from the fire, he seems to be saying that he's come to terms with his death, because death was the price he had to pay to regain some of the innocence he'd lost. Being involved in so much violence, in some ways it probably made him feel pure. He would prefer to live, even though he's probably more scared to live than to die, because he can see that there is good in the world, and that he's been a part of it. Johnny is a remarkable young teenager that went about his daily life with great
stoicism. Audacious is also one of many words you would express Johnny’s heroic actions. On chapter 3, page 24 Johnny’s braveness starts to blossom. Johnny challenges his idol, Dallas, when he sees how uncomfortable Dallas is making Cherry and Marcia at the movies but Dally was taken off guard and he stared at Johnny in disbelief. Johnny couldn't even say "Boo" to a goose. Dallas scowled, but Johnny was the gang's pet, and Dally just couldn't hit him. He was Dally's pet, too. Dally got up and stalked off, his fists jammed in his pockets and a frown on his face. Ponyboy was still staring at him. It had taken more than just nerve for Johnny to say what he'd said to Dally. Johnny worshipped the ground Dallas walked on, and Ponyboy had never heard Johnny talk back to anyone, much less his hero. From that point on Johnny’s daring ways sneaked of to a dangerous but bold risk in chapter 4. After Johnny’s and Ponyboy’s hectic day they went to a park and saw a blue Mustang circling the park slowly, When the Socs came, so Johnny pulled out his switchblade, but a weaponless Pony was grabbed before he knew it and shoved face first into a chilling fountain. In fear, Pony gasped for air but realized that he was sucking in water and drowning. Ponyboy awakens on the pavement gasping for air. He sees that Johnny killed the Soc. Even though Johnny knew it might send him to the electric chair he still murdered Bob. Johnny saw that they were going to kill Ponyboy and beat him up again so for self-defense Johnny took an audacious act. Then later on chapters 5 page 61, Johnny’s braveness is shifted to a higher level. First of all, we know that greasers’ only pride and joy is their hair, but Johnny and Ponyboy were brave enough to cut their only pride and joy for the sake of not being discovered! Then on chapter 6 page 74-75, Johnny wanted to turn himself in. After Johnny’s proposition they went back to the church and saw that it was on fire. (Chapter 6 around the pages 77-80) Then hearing that kids were inside the building, without a moment’s hesitation Johnny, Ponyboy and Dally ran to save the children from the fire. Johnny and Ponyboy knew that they started the fire, so they felt responsible for the children. After they got the children out, Johnny got severely injured and was brought to the hospital. He got weaker and weaker as the days went by and eventually died. Johnny is a truly remarkable, audacious teen who saved the children from the fire but paid the price with his own life. In conclusion, Johnny and his friends were caught in a hurricane of dramatic events that stopped in shock but it turned out alright in the end. During the novel Johnny is skittish/diffident, audacious person who went through live with great stoicism. I admire that Johnny isn’t self-centered, and that he died for the children in the burning fire. He doesn’t only think about himself he thinks of others too even though there might be great sacrifices. In some ways I do know people who are like Johnny, who are not self-centered and who are shy just like him, but I never meet someone like Johnny in terms of his miserable life. I hope I’ll never meet someone that looks as woebegone as poor Johnny.