According to Harry Emerson Fosdick, “He who knows no hardships will face no hardihood. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in soil with a strong mixture of troubles” Everyone goes through hardships, no matter how hard things get or no matter how many challenging things you face, overcoming them is what teaches you and makes you stronger. Ponyboy, The protagonist in The Outsiders, faces some very tough things, but they end up greatly impacting him later on. Throughout the novel, S.E Hinton suggests that everyone has their own problems, but they are what make you more powerful and smarter.
As Ponyboy mindlessly runs away, “I turned and ran out the door as fast as I could.(50)” because he’s completely outraged that Darry slapped him, he rushes to Johnny. They arrive at the park at around 2:30 am. The boys start talking when suddenly 5 Socs jump out of a
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Two big consequences of this were Johnny killing the Soc and The two boys even ending up in church in the first place, which caused them to feel miserable and weak. Ponyboy running into the burning church to save the kids was also an important choice, mostly because Johnny follows Ponyboy and then eventually dies. When Johnny dies, Ponyboy’s whole life falls apart. But in the end, because of how these consequences impacted Ponyboy, he learns to become more hardy and strong-minded. Overcoming strenuous challenges, makes you more dynamic and better in time. Ponyboy immensely changes throughout the novel. Towards the resolution, he’s definitely more confident in himself and what part of society he’s in. And after going through such stressful events, he’s more understanding and realizing when judging other people. Although Ponyboy faces many challenges throughout the two-week span of the book, ultimately, it develops him and makes him much more mature as a