The Character Sherri Valance In The Outsiders

The character Sherri Valance, otherwise known as Cherry because of her bright red hair is the only main female character in The Outsiders. She stands as a link between the greasers and the socs. In the following paragraphs, I will be talking about the importance of her character, how the character stands as a link between the gangs, and how her character helps to solve the problem. I would say that Cherry is a big character in the book. In some ways, Bob’s death was Cherry’s fault. If she and Marcia hadn’t asked Pony and Johnny to come and sit with her and Marcia, the events that led to Bob’s death probably wouldn’t have happened. The socs wouldn’t have seen the Greasers with their girls, and Pony would’ve went right home. Cherry is the
Cherry and Pony became friends as they talked about their lives and their feelings. When Pony told Cherry about when a group of socs beat Johnny badly, as Pony says “I had nearly forgotten that Cherry was listening to me. But when I came back to reality and looked at her, I was startled to find her as white as a sheet.” (pg. 34) They were able to really opened up to each other, and if they didn’t make a connection, Pony and Johnny might have ended up in jail. Johnny was protecting Pony and stabbed and killed Bob, a soc, who was also Cherry’s boyfriend. Johnny and Pony were scared and ran away to an old abandoned church to avoid going to jail. Dally came and picked them up to get something to eat since they were starving. As they were eating, Dally told the boys that the “good-looking broad from the drive-in”, otherwise known as Cherry, was now a spy for the greasers. She also told the truth about what actually happened during the court case. Johnny was dead at this time, but it proved that Pony was innocent. Cherry was a very important character in The Outsiders, being the only main female role. She brought a bit of romance and softness to the book, but also showed the true meaning of friendship,