In young adult literature, there are characters who leave a perennial impression on the reader. Many of these are considered dynamic characters because of changes they endure throughout the plot. In S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, Johnny Cade is a character that goes through a major change in personality. At first, a boy who is afraid of his own shadow, we see throughout the novel turn into a gallant hero that risked his life to save children.
At the beginning of the novel, Johnny lacked confidence and self-esteem. At times he thought about attempting suicide. S.E. Hinton describes Johnny as, “A little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and lost his crowd of strangers” (11). This is because Johnny 's parents are abusive: his mother verbally and his father physically. Both parents are neglectful, and the lack of parental love is the base of his self-esteem problems. He was only looking for acceptance, especially from Dallas Winston. Dally was his role model, a tough hoodlum, who also went through some personality changes. Johnny was vulnerable, and as a result, people took advantage of him. The Socs were some of these people. He was brutally beaten by the Socs and lived in a constant state of fear that he would get hurt again. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy says, “But after the night of the beating, Johnny had been jumpier than ever...I didn’t think he’d ever got over it...Johnny never walked by himself after that” (34). This quote gives an understanding of how