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Character Analysis: Johnny Cade

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In the first place, Johnny Cade is "the gang's pet" (page 12) Ponyboy portrays Johnny as a "a little dark lost puppy” and a “puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers"(both from page 11) He is just 16 years old and Johnny has a truly harsh life. His dad was continually beating him, and his mom ignored him. He was the second-youngest and smallest among the greasers and had a slight form. Johnny has dark features, with “big black eyes in a tanned face” and "jet-black hair, heavily greased and combed to the side” longer than the other boys since it “fell in shaggy bangs across the forehead (all from page 11). As indicated by Ponyboy, Johnny had gotten beat up by four Socs before this story started. "'I had never been jumped, but I had seen Johnny after the four Socs got hold of him, and it wasn't pretty. Johnny was scared of his own shadow after that.(page 4)'" He is anxious by nature, continually looking behind him in case another Soc is nearby. The other greasers all love Johnny, for the most part in view of his terrible family …show more content…

In his letter to Pony he lets him know that he has been thinking the Robert Frost poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay," that Pony recited when he and Johnny watched the sunrise on top of Jay Mountain. He clarifies that saving the children was the proper thing to do because it would've been hard for him to live with himself if he hadn't attempted to help and the children had died. Johnny's words show us a case of deep self esteem problems; he doesn't think that his life is worth as much as the kids. In his letter he writes “Listen, I don't mind dying now. It's worth it. It's worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for. Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it “ (pg

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