A hero is defined as a person who is admired for their achievements and admirable qualities, or someone who shows courage. In S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, there are many characters that can be considered heroes. Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston demonstrate heroic actions throughout the novel, however they have not escaped the cycle of violence, crime and their social status. In contrast to this, Ponyboy is a considerable hero whose reputation is clean and his actions remain without ill intention, despite coming from the same gang and having the same social status as the other boys. Johnny, Dallas and Ponyboy all carry heroic traits throughout the novel, however it is Ponyboy's actions that demonstrate he is the greatest hero.
Johnny is considered a hero in the novel because he protects his friends from danger, regardless of
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Dally uses his past and experience of being “hardened in jail” to shield his friends and shield Johnny and Ponyboy from the repercussions of what might happen if they were found guilty. He especially looks after Johnny, whom he took in as a “pet” and views as a younger, uncorrupted version of himself. This can be seen when he tells Johnny “you don’t know what a few months in jail can do to you… I just don’t wanna see that happen to you like it happened to me”, as he becomes vulnerable, talking about the hardships in jail. He once again shows courage when he “let it slip that [Ponyboy and Johnny] were headin’ for Texas” to the police and giving the boys a gun even if “he’d get jailed again for giving [them] that gun”. This again proves that Dally would do anything to protect his friends in times of crisis even if that meant he went back to jail. Overall Dally demonstrates gallantry as he would go to any length to ensure his gang don’t go through the repercussions he