Ponyboy and Johnny were motivated (by guilt and thinking that their lives are worthless) to risk their lives and ran into the burning church to save the school children. As they had visited the church they were living in for a while because Johnny had killed Bob (a Socs), they had thought running away from their homes was the best idea. When Johnny and Ponyboy saw the burning church, Johnny had said to Ponyboy that he bet they had started the fire in the church: “We (meaning Johnny and Ponyboy) must have dropped a lighted cigarette or something” (Hinton 91). Also, when they heard that there were kids inside the burning church, Ponyboy started running to the church, even when an adult tried to stop him. The only thing he was probably thinking when he ran was, “We started …show more content…
We started it. We started it!” (91), this is one example why they feel guilty. The quotes shows what motivated them to run into a burning church in the first place, which was probably the fact that they think they started the fire, and that it was their fault it happened. The readers can tell from the fact that Ponyboy was repeating “We started it” multiple times, that he might have hated himself for smoking in the church and he wasn’t thinking properly/using his head to assess the situation (which is something Ponyboy is known for and does it a lot), when he ran inside, he didn’t even know where there were and what they will do when they find them, but he had one thing that motivated (guilt) and that is the only thing he had in mind so it kept him going. Ponyboy didn’t even listen to Dally (the most dangerous person in the gang) when he shouted, “Get outa there! That roof’s gonna cave in any minute. Forget those blasted kids!”