The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy’s friend, Johnny, is shown as a brave and positive person through is actions and his speech. Foremost, Johnny helps Ponyboy rescue kids from a burning church. When Ponyboy is reading the newspaper after the incident, he says, “...Johnny and I risked our lives saving those little kids…” (Hinton PDF 90). As can be seen, when Johnny jumps into the flames to save the kids without a second thought, it shows his bravery. Not only does he willingly go into a dangerous situation for somebody else, but does so without much consideration for his own life. Additionally, Johnny proves to be a positive character when he, in his dying breaths, tells Ponyboy to stay true to himself. His last words are, “Stay gold,
Ponyboy. Stay gold” (Hinton PDF 126). This quote refers to a poem Ponyboy recited to Johnny earlier in the book, which claimed that nothing gold could stay. Therefore, Johnny demonstrates positivity here because he is telling Ponyboy not to get hardened by his lifestyle, to never change, and to retain the innocent beauty of youth. Johnny could have expressed negativity and bitterness because he is dying, but instead chose to give his friend some advice to make sure Ponyboy’s life would be better than his. Thus, as is demonstrated through his deeds and his dialogue, Johnny is a courageous and optimistic character.