The Outsiders: Is Darry A Good Role Model?

A good role model can lead to great success. Darry being there for Ponyboy after his parent's passing shows respect. Darry is a good guardian in the book The Outsiders; however, some others may believe otherwise. Darry is a proper guardian to Ponyboy. One way this is proven is Darry shows selflessness. Instead of going to college, Darry chose to stay back and take care of Ponyboy and Sodapop. Darry was able to go to college because of, “...the athletic scholarship he won”(Hinton 16). This can prove Darry puts others first instead of himself because he turned down a way to go to college and a successful career because he knew he needed to stay. If he wouldn’t have stayed, Pony and Soda would have probably ended up in a foster home because

The opposing side would argue this he is unfit to be a parent because he yells at Pony. However, this is incorrect because after the church fire, when Darry, “...yelled ‘Pony, where have you been all this time?’ he meant ‘Pony, you’ve scared me to death. Please be careful, because I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.’ “(Hinton 98). This proves to a reader that Darry is a pleasant guardian because he only yells at him to mask his love for him. Darry truly cares for Pony but he only shows it by yelling. The other side would also reason Darry is an unfit guardian for Ponyboy because Darry lets them eat chocolate cake for breakfast. However, this is incorrect because in the past, “..All three of us like chocolate cake for breakfast. Mom had never allowed it with ham and eggs..”(Hinton 104 & 105). This can show the opposing side that Darry is an appropriate parent because even though they have sweets for breakfast, they do it because it’s a tradition. They continue to do this even though their parents passed because it brought them happiness. To conclude, stating that Darry is not a good guardian to Ponyboy Curtis is