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Underestimated Hero In S. E. Hinton's 'The Outsiders'

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An Underestimated Hero Not many people have managed to gain the title of being a killer as well as a hero, but Johnny Cade has. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about the maturing of a group of boys in a gang called “Greasers,” while a rivalry between their gang, with another gang called the “Socs” is taking place. The story takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1960’s. Johnny is among many of the characters in this book, but one of the main reasons he stands out is because he faces every type of conflict. Johnny is a fugitive, but nevertheless a hero for saving children’s lives. Consequently, he is round, meaning he has more than one side to his personality. He goes through a lot of character development in this story, as he goes from a fugitive …show more content…

One example is when Johnny was walking home alone one afternoon when a group of Socs jumped him and beat him almost to death. Ponyboy says, “Someone had beaten him badly” (Hinton 32). This shows that a gang abused Johnny. Ordinarily, Johnny’s parents abuse him at home. Ponyboy says, “his father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him, except when she was hacked off at something, and then you could hear her yelling at him clear down at our house” (Hinton 12). This clearly shows that there was a lot of mistreatment towards Johnny in his …show more content…

One example is when Johnny saves children from a burning church. Johnny had been hiding in this church and left. He came back to find it had caught on fire, and children who were nearby at a picnic went inside and had become trapped. Feeling as if the fire were Johnny’s fault, he risked his own life for them. Johnny writes in a letter to Ponyboy, “I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids” (Hinton 178). Johnny gave one life, his own, to save more lives. He was gallant in the sense that he wanted to get the children out safely, no matter the consequences. In another event, Johnny kills a Soc to protect Ponyboy from dying, even though he knew that it would cause major problems for him. Johnny claims, “I had to. They were drowning you Pony. They might have killed you” (Hinton 157). Johnny’s determination to protect his friend no matter the consequence was gallant. It is evident that Johnny is

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When we first meet Johnny he is characterized as, “ a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers”, and, “ He [has] a nervous suspicious look in his eyes.” (pg. 11) Ponyboy describes as a lost puppy because he doesn’t know where he is going in his life. Johnny has a pretty rough life at home, and he is used to it. Once Darry slaps Ponyboy, he and Johnny are on the run. Johnny also killed Bob, a rich Soc, who just needed some support.

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Throughout The Outsiders, S.E. Hinston causes readers to redefine their definition of heroism, by revealing the noble characteristics of individuals who would otherwise be classified as troublemakers or rebels; though they are different people, Johnny, Ponyboy, and Darry all exhibit heroic qualities. Johnny is a great example of heroism in The Outsiders. One reason he exemplifies this is because he saved Ponyboy’s life when the Socs attacked them by killing Bob, a Soc.

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Johnny Cade, a main character in the realistic fiction novel The Outsiders by S.E Hiton plays a big part in the story’s plot. Johnny is a 16 year old boy, with dark hair and tanned skin, and is part of Ponyboy’s gang. Later in the story Pony and Johnny run away after murdering Bob a soc. In the beginning Johnny was always scared and nervous but he eventually develops as a character and becomes brave, and finally he matures.

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I think he best represents a Christ figure. A Christ figure is a character that represents Christ in different ways. One way I feel Johnny is a Christ figure is that his initials are JC; JC being the same initials as Jesus Christ. Another way Johnny shows Christ like characteristics is his heroic sacrifice.

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Before he died, Johnny said "Listen, I don't mind dying now. It's worth it. It's worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for" (Hinton 135). This quote emphasizes the idea of Johnny's selflessness.

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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

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He realizes that there is more in life than just the Socs and greasers. Johnny shows that to pony when he says, “ I don’t mind dying now… It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more mine…” (pg.178)

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Another dilemma is when he killed Bob to protect Ponyboy. On page 56 it says, “Next thing I noticed was a dark pool of blood” Therefore he is a hero to Ponyboy for saving him. From these examples it shows that Johnny is heroic.

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