Comparison essay
Between Segun and Dally
After reading the article about Segun, along with finishing ‘The Outsiders’ by S.E. Hinton, I felt that there was a sound similarity with Dally, the definitive ‘gangster’ of the group in ‘The Outsiders’, and Segun, a ringleader of various gangs in Toronto. In much the same way, both boy’s early lives were marked by run-ins with the police and constant moving around. On page 10 of ‘The Outsides’ , Ponyboy states of Dally’s childhood: Dally had spent three years on the wild side of New York and had been arrested at the age of ten. He was tougher, colder,meaner than the rest of us. Likewise, Segun says of his childhood: By Grade 7, we had moved to an apartment in Toronto, near Victoria
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During the article, Segun states that he had no distinct relationship with anyone, wheras Dally did with Johnny. However, as Dally views Johnny as a repeat of himself, we can see yet more similarities. After Ponyboy insults Johnny, Dally slaps him quite hard, which is something Segun would’ve done. As well, both experienced deep anger and guilt after commiting ( or thinking they caused) a murder. In jail, Segun was initially vicious, but then lapsed into a deep depression while serving time. On the other side, Dally held a knife to a nurse’s throat when Johnny was in the hospital, along with suicide after he died, from his guilt, we can assume. In summary, both unfortunately were defined by their situations: peer pressure, single-parent households, racism, low incomes, getting shunted around the education system, precarious housing. In the words of Segun “We were all just living up to our own stereotypes. I wanted to break the cycle.” I feel that both thte fictional character of Dally and Segun serve as a sad tale of what happens when circumstances are dire. As with most crimes, Segun’s murder didn’t orginate with his desire for criminality, it orginated from desperate early life