Should we blame Johnny and Dally’s death on society, or their own choices? In the context of "The Outsiders", society refers to the social and cultural norms, expectations, and values of the community that influence the behavior of the characters. We are used to portraying society as being flawed and unfair, and though that is in part true, we cannot assume it is always negative. Have we forgotten that the loyalty and friendship of the gang and Ponyboy saving those kids is also considered as ‘society’? While it's true that societal factors such as gang violence, class division, and lack of parental support undoubtedly played a role in shaping their behavior, it's important to understand that they had power in their decisions and ultimately were in control over their own actions. For example, Bob chose to drown Ponyboy, and no one forced him to do so. Yes, we can justify his behavior to his lack of boundaries or even drunken state, but this shouldn’t excuse his actions. …show more content…
They were still able to make choices and take responsibility for their actions. We can see this in the novel when Johnny makes the tough decision to turn himself in after killing a Soc in self-defense. If we just blame society for their deaths, we are fully ignoring the complexity of the issue and oversimplifying the nature vs. nurture debate. This whole situation is a never-ending cycle; the choices they made lead to the circumstances they encountered which in turn affected the choices they made. If we think about it in another sense, their deaths might have been inevitable. Whatever action they took they would have ended up in the same way, whether it was because of the Socs or the Police. Maybe the only choice they ever had was to choose in what way they would die, as death was an inescapable result of their societal