Loyalty In The Outsiders

If a family member isn't loyal, are they truly family? In the book The Outsiders by S. E Hinton, the protagonist is a young boy called Ponyboy, a greaser who stands out from his gang and desires the rival group, the Socs, to get along with the Greasers. In a fight, a Soc ends up getting killed forcing Ponyboy to flee with his gang member, Johnny. Their hideout burns to the ground, and as result, Johnny gets hurt. The gang is worried for both Johnny and Pony and stays loyal to both of them throughout the whole situation like family. A recurring theme shown in The Outsiders is family does not need to be bound by blood to be there for each other, instead loyalty makes a family. The author develops this theme in three important ways, such as the

Dally is known for always being tough and a ‘true’ greaser. He has not had a soft spot for anyone but Johnny. After Johnny died, he did not take it well and took off from the hospital. After Dally disappears, Ponyboy questions, “How can I take it? I wondered. Dally is tougher than I am. Why can I take it when Dally can’t? And then I knew. Johnny was the one thing Dally loved” (Hinton 152). This demonstrates loyalty and family because Dally loved Johnny, meaning when Johnny died Dally could not live without him. Johnny was the only person that Dally had ever cared for, because all of his life he struggled and became ‘tough’ early on, thus reinforcing the idea that he should only care about himself. Someone blinded by their past like Dally would have trouble truly loving someone, but when it comes to one's family, one truly can. That means Johnny is like family to Dally. Above all, Dally loved Johnny and was upset when Johnny died to the point he was so heartbroken, that he decided to take his life. That is what true loyalty is, even if they are not

After Ponyboy got rescued from the burning church and ended up in the hospital his brothers came to see him. Ponyboy and Darry fought an abundance of times, so Pony thought Darry disliked him. Ponyboy realizes that is not true when he and Darry embrace, “That was his silent fear then-of losing another person he loved. . . . I listened to his heart pounding through his T-shirt and knew everything was going to be okay. I had taken the long way around, but I knew I was finally home. To stay” (Hinton 98-99). This proves my theme because even though the Curtis brothers are related, they still are a true family because of their loyalty and love for one another. For example, the text says ‘That was his silent fear then-of losing another person he loved’ meaning that Darry cares and loves for Ponyboy, and was so scared of losing him that he cried - something Darry had not done in years. Darry was so deeply hurt and scared that he cried, only something a family member that was loyal to another would do. They are a family because of how close they are and how loyal they are to each other, which is the opposite of Johnny's home life proving they are not his real family. Ultimately, even though Ponyboy and Darry are related, they are still a true family because they are loyal and love each