Character Analysis Of Dally In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

Dally is a pivotal character in The Outsiders, a novel written by S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders was written to relate to a younger audience. This book handles topics such as society, class, and violence. Dally is “the real character of the group.”(10). Dally lives on the East side of town with the greasers. The greasers are a gang made up of Two-bit Mathews, Darry, Sodapop, Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny, and Steve Randle. Unlike gangs in New York, “Tulsa doesn't have a rival gang. Only Socs.” (10). makes Dally have a strong distaste for the socs.

Dally is differentiated from the rest of the greasers in his appearance. “His hair was almost white it was so blond, and he didn't like haircuts, or hair oil”(10). It is interesting how Dally is the only

Dally is closest to Johnny. This may be because Johnny was like a “little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers”(11). This is a stark contrast to Dally who was as wild as the boys in the downtown outfits, like Tim Shepard's gang”(10). Dally was like this because he grew up in a tough neighborhood, went to jail at the young age of ten, and was hardened. “Johnny worshiped the ground Dallas walked on.”(23). Dally's relationship with Johnny made the plot of the book progress. When Ponyboy and Johnny go to find Dally in chapter 4 he gives them a gun and some money. This is one of the very few unselfish acts Dally commits in the novel, aside from that there is another example when dally goes into the blazing church. "What for?" Dally sounded irritated. "Get back in here before I beat your head in”(77). Dally doesn't go into the church immediately. He follows after Johnny. Dally would risk his life for people that he doesn't know, as he has no connection to them. When we look closer into both situations, there is one equal factor, Johnny. At the end of the novel when Johnny passes, Dally has no will to live. "Damnit, Johnny..." he begged, slamming one fist against the wall, hammering it to make it obey his will. "Oh, damn it, Johnny, don't die, please don't die..." (127). That's the only time that we see dally being emotional. Johnny was truly the only thing that Dally