The Outsiders Hero

In the eyes of many, a hero is the embodiment of good; honest, giving, and humble. For two criminal teenagers to be considered heroic is strange, but for Dally Winston and Johnny Cade, sacrificing everything for their closest friends and community is a daily ordeal. Throughout H.E. Hinton’s fiction novel, The Outsiders, Dally and Johnny are constantly portrayed as dangerous and tough kids involved in illegal activity spouting from their street gang. Although this is true to an extent, they are simply trying to protect their family of other traumatized kids. Their capability to look past the social class system of Socs and Greasers allows them and the people around them to have a better quality of life, making them heroes. John Barth once
said that, “Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story”. Dally Winston was never given the privilege of having a safe and secure life, and was considered the meanest and coldest member of the gang. After Johnny murdered Bob, Ponyboy described Dally as selfish for giving them “...money and the gun and getting us out of town”(53). Dally didn’t just risk getting in trouble with the rest of the gang for not telling where Johnny and Ponyboy, he also risked legal trouble. By assisting with a murder, he could have easily been thrown in jail, which he wouldn’t want. He shows selflessness and compassion for the runaways by risking his own freedom. Although he was devastated that they killed someone, Dally understood the bigger picture and realized that he needed to protect them and keep them out of jail so they wouldn’t end up hardened like him. Dally also was constantly “...risking his life…” to make sure Johnny and Ponyboy were out of trouble, but when he died, nobody except for Ponyboy realized how much he sacrificed (131). His death was a symbol that he would not accept the social status he was forced into, and would never. Dally made the ultimate sacrifice of death so children, like Johnny, could have a better life and be able to tear down the bonds of cemented social classes. He believed that people were not just Greasers or Socs, they were people. His death is a signal that change is right on the horizon, and a warning to all of the non-compliant people. Dally’s humility towards fame proves his true intention is to not seek attention, he truly wants equality, making him a real hero. Jared Leto once said, “A real hero is someone who gets up even when he can’t”, and this definition perfectly matches Johnny, a soft spoken 16 year old.
He dreams of “‘...someplace without greasers or Socs, with just people’”(42). He can see beyond social ranking and sabotage, instead preferring a world without labels. He can even tell that the abuse he suffers isn’t permanent, and chooses to live away from his parents. Johnny is one of the younger members of Ponyboy’s gang, but he is smart enough to see that his misfortune was never caused by the Socs. Johnny learns that he doesn’t need the acceptance of his family or of his fellow greasers, and decides to make a leap of faith that will give him the freedom he has always desired. Johnny killed Bob not out of hate for Socs, but in order to save Ponyboy’s life. This showed incredible awareness and sincerity for his friends, which is very heroic. Later in the novel Johnny saved multiple kids’ lives by pulling them out of a burning building. He was “...red marked from falling embers and sweat streaked, but he grinned…” showing he wasn’t afraid of doing the right thing (79). If he never went into the building, he wouldn’t have died and nobody would have forced him to help. The reason he ran back in was to try to compensate for killing Bob and forcing Ponyboy to be on the run with him. This was a sign that Johnny was mature enough to sacrifice his life in order to protect other innocent ones. His complete and utter respect and selflessness earned him a title in the newspaper as a hero, and on his deathbed he wasn’t afraid to leave. Johnny’s love for his closest friends caused him to die peacefully and with a cleared name, which he earned even when he didn’t think he
could. Johnny and Dally were looked down on in the community for being too reckless and violent, but their actions in S.E. Hinton’s novel prove them to be heroes for their humility, generosity, and eternal sacrifices. Even though they both had tragic ends, their final actions and desires left a substantial mark on the main characters. Their hatred towards segregation and differential treatment based on social class left a resounding mark as well. Dally and Johnny’s sacrifices led Ponyboy to realize his biggest problem wasn’t arguing with his older brother Darry about useless things, it was two groups of people arguing with each other about nothing.