The Outsiders, By S. E. Hinton

In The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton Ponyboy experiences a string of tragedies and struggles that help him learn and grow. Ponyboy also learns greatly from the experiences, knowledge, and lives of his friends such as Johnny. Like many individuals do, throughout the novel characters like Johnny and Ponyboy realize that an individual's knowledge and experiences can help others when shared. Throughout the novel, there are many examples of characters such as Johnny sharing either the knowledge they have earned or their experiences to help others. When he reads Johnny’s note, Ponyboy realizes both how much Johnny cared about him and Dally, but also that there are others in the world like Johnny and Dally, who live like them who may moreover meet the

Ponyboy sees this as not a personal problem, but a problem that extends to hundreds of “boys living on the wrong sides of cities” (Hinton 179). Ponyboy writes, “Suddenly it wasn’t only a personal thing to me. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. One week had taken all three of them. And I decided I could tell people, beginning with my English teacher." Hinton 179-180. Ponyboy and Johnny both shared either their knowledge or their experiences to help others and to keep others safe. Throughout the novel, Johnny looks out for Ponyboy and tries to get him to be himself using what he has learned to help Ponyboy, as in Johnny’s note. Johnny writes, “Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's a lot of gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be. I want you to tell Dally to look at this one.” (Hinton 178). Even though Johnny has his share of struggles in his life, he is always trying to use his knowledge and experiences to help others, mainly his friends, consequently this leads to his death. Nevertheless, even on his death bed he was trying to help others, which consequently is also carried on to the note Johnny leaves to Ponyboy along with the copy of Gone with the