Sacrifice In The Outsiders

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“For anything worth having one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice- no power currency, no promises to pay, but the gold of real service.” John Burroughs. One of the points he is making is that getting anything of value accomplished or done requires sacrifice. Making sacrifices requires one to get out of their comfort zone. In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, the characters make sacrifices and get out of their comfort zones for each other. Throughout the novel, characters serve and give of themselves for each other in order to protect the ones they love. Darry makes these kind of sacrifices for his brothers. Later, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally risk their lives trying to save each other. The …show more content…

The first time we see this is after Johnny and Ponyboy arrive fresh from the murder to seek Dally’s help. He gives them dry clothes, a loaded gun, fifty dollars, and tells them a location to hide in. He gave them the essentials they need even though he could have gone to jail. Darry would have even beat up Dally to death for helping them escape town and giving them a gun and money. According to Ponyboy, “...he [Dally] got drunk, he rode in rodeos, lied, cheated, stole, rolled drunks, jumped small kids—he did everything.” (1.48) After Johnny died, Dally makes an enormous sacrifice that took away his life. He loved Johnny so much that he couldn't take the fact he was gone. Dally was known to be the most cold-blooded member of the gang but after Johnny's death, he was the one who showed the most affection. Dally wouldn’t have been shot if he didn’t love Johnny so much, and sacrificed himself.
The greasers gang sticks together like brothers at makes sacrifices at great costs. Ponyboy says, “You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't stick up for them, stick together, make like brothers, it isn't a gang anymore.” (Pg. 26) The greasers do everything they can do to defend their buddies. The gang made sacrifice after sacrifice to protect their loved ones. Even biological family members wouldn't make some of the sacrifices they made. Not a lot of people today