How Does Ponyboys Character Change

To accustom to their surroundings and different situations, most complex characters change. Characters change in different ways depending on their situation, but changes in personality can modify the whole plot of a book. Main characters, especially in this book, develop continually through different situations and experiences. Through those new relationships, experiences, and hardships, characters create new goals and aspirations. Everyone, including fictional characters, need to change in ways depending on the different scenarios of daily life. From the time a child learns to walk and talk, people learn how to solve problems which is a skill we use throughout our life, which is how we adapt. Changes help us to develop into different people,

Several of Ponyboy’s traits differed from the beginning due to environmental crisis that he had to endure through. Sensitivity, a trait Ponyboy is unique to in the book, helps him to feel more emotion that the other greasers and the Socs, which was shown in the beginning and the middle, especially when Johnny and Dally died. To mask his sadness and true feelings, Ponyboy tried to act tough like Dally so he didn't have to suffer, but it did not benefit him. As shown in the book, “...It was the oddest feeling in the world. I didn't feel anything-scared, mad, or anything. Just zero… ‘Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be…’” (Hinton 171), Ponyboy wanted to shut off his feelings to try and be like the other greasers to cope with the lost of his good friend, but since he was truly a sensitive person, it broke him apart and did not help him to adapt to what happened to Johnny. His thinking process changed dramatically from the beginning to the end of the book. Although Ponyboy was not known for having common sense, he did well in school as quoted here, “...Sometimes I just don't use my head. It drives my brother Darry nuts when I do stuff like that ‘cause I'm supposed to be smart; I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything, but I don't use my head…” (Hinton 4). However, due to Johnny and Dally’s death, not only did his memory and common sense begin to

In his family, although he had a very strong relationship with Soda, often clashed with Darry. Darry was always upset at Ponyboy because he expected so much of him and wanted to protect him because he loved him. In this quote, “‘He's not like Sodapop at all and he sure ain't like me. He’s hard as rock and about as human…He thinks I’m a pain in the neck… I bet he wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere, and he'd do it, too, if Soda’d let him…’” (Hinton 42), which he later finds out is untrue when he is reunited after the fire in the church. However, a relationship within his family that never changes is with Soda because he always defended him and loved him more than his own parents. In this quote, “...And he understands everything...Soda doesn't think I'm a kid… Soda is one of a kind…” (Hinton 8-9, 13), it shows how Ponyboy truly feels about Soda and how he loves him so much. While with the gang, Ponyboy had a true bond with Johnny that he could strengthen throughout the book up until the end. Johnny, also easy going and sensitive, was Ponyboy’s buddy throughout the book. Ponyboy, because of his sensitive and kind nature easily created new relationships in the book. Cherry Valance, a new friend and ally, was a relationship Ponyboy created in the beginning of the book because they both had several things in common, but the largest idea they