How Does The Outsiders Change

Friends are like a beautiful tattoo on the heart. No matter how hard you try to get rid of them, their ink is always left in you. We see this idea expressed in the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders is about a group of teenage boys trying to survive the rigid class structure in their town. Ponyboy Curtis is the center of this story as the narrator. He deals with multiple hardships, but is always surrounded by his friends, his gang. The character Dallas (Dally) Winston, one of the most prominent gang members, reinforces the theme that friendship leaves a permanent impact on life.

Dally’s “tough” and “dangerous” characterization is shown to change overtime due to his relationship with the gang. When Ponyboy introduces Dally, he

While all the characters in the novel have meaningful friendships, Dally’s portrayal stands out. Once Johnny decides that he is going to turn himself in for the murder of Bob Sheldon, Dally tells him “Johnny, I ain't mad at you. I just don't want you to get hurt. You don't know what a few months in jail can do to you. You get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you. like it happened to me,” (90). Dally was so afraid that if he did not protect Johnny both physically and emotionally, he would end up like him, tough and hard. This expresses how Dally only wants the best for his friends, and he protects them in whatever ways he can. This level of devotion sets his friendships apart from others. While Ponyboy is grieving, he states, “...Two friends of mine died that night: one a hero, the other a hoodlum. But I remembered Dally pulling Johnny through the window of the burning church; Dally giving us his gun, although it could mean jail for him; Dally risking his life for us, trying to keep Johnny out of trouble. And now he was a dead juvenile delinquent, and there wouldn't be any editorials in his favor. Dally didn't die as a hero. He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew he'd die someday,” (154). The deep effect Dally’s friendship had on Ponyboy’s life is truly evident after his devastating death. By losing Dally, Ponyboy’s view of the world changes, he