Johnny Cade In The Outsiders

Johnny Cade, the sympathetic and lovable character from the classical realistic fiction novel “The Outsides” by renowned author S.E. Hinton is one of the most complex and confusing characters in the novel. Johnny is a very special character because he is so different in so many ways to the other protagonists in this novel. He himself who is both quiet and passive is forced to take refuge with the violent and active gang of the greasers by his abusive family. Throughout the novel he is the main catalysis of most of the major events in the novel, through his small acts of courage, he leads both himself and Ponyboy into a whirlwind of adventure including murder, death and heroism making him one of the most loved character of the novel. One of the
He comes from an extremely abusive home and needs the greaser gang just as much as they needed him. He needs them for protection and a sense of purpose. While the gang needs him because Johnny gives them a sense of purpose and justification of their violence without Johnny, the gang would be next to nothing. Johnny has big black eyes, a tanned face, jet-black hair with grease in it and has a slight build. Due to his father constantly beating him and his mother who always ignores him the greasers are always looking out for Johnny and trying to protect him. Dally who is the leader of the greasers especially watches out for Johnny, in return he hero worships Dally. Throughout the novel Johnny changes at various times. First a usually mild and quiet Johnny murders Bob and then takes control of the situation proven by when he told Ponyboy to go to Dally knowing he will get them out of trouble and when he goes out and gets supplies. Later on he changes in his relationship with Ponyboy, during their five-day stay in Windrixville they both grow extremely close, even closer than they were