ipl-logo

Opposites Attract In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

1053 Words5 Pages

What does the phrase “opposites attract” really mean? The two characters, Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston demonstrate the true meaning in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Johnny and Dally are opposites because Johnny is law abiding while Dally deliberately breaks laws. Also when Johnny dies, he dies a hero while Dally dies a hoodlum. They do have similarities though. Johnny and Dally’s parents do not care for them. Also, Johnny and Dally care for one another. Johnny and Dally may seem very different, but they do have attributes in common. Johnny and Dally are very different people for many reasons, but one main reason is that Johnny does not get in trouble with the police, while Dally tries to break laws. For example, when Dally, Johnny, and Ponyboy go to the Nightly Double drive-in. Since Dally does not like doing things legally, they climb over the back fence of the drive-in to watch the movie. Ponyboy states, “. . . Dally hated to do things the legal way. He liked to show that he didn’t care whether there was a law or not” (20). …show more content…

For instance, when Dally comes to visit Johnny and Ponyboy in the church and Johnny asks Dally if his parents are wondering about him. Dally responds sharply, “‘. . .what do they matter? Shoot, my old man don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter”’ (88). This is the one time Dally talks about his father. It shows that his dad does not care for him. Similarly, Johnny’s parents ignore him most of the time, but when they do acknowledge him they are beating him. Johnny even says, “‘ I think I like it better when the old man is hittin’ me.” Johnny sighed. “At least I know he knows who I am”’ (51). Johnny’s parents abuse him and neglect him most of the time. Therefore, Johnny and Dally both have parents who do not care about their well

Show More
Related

  • Segun And Dally Comparison

    498 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the other side, Dally held a knife to a nurse’s throat when Johnny was in the hospital, along with suicide after he died, from his guilt, we can assume. In summary, both unfortunately were defined by their situations: peer pressure, single-parent households, racism, low incomes, getting shunted around the education system, precarious housing. In the words of Segun “We were all just living up to our own stereotypes.

    Read More

  • Short Story Telling Dally

    1205 Words  | 5 Pages

    “It wasn’t suppose to happen like this!” he was sobbing now. “Why couldn’t it have been me, why did Johnny have to be the one to leave?” I was surprised to see Dally act this way. I had always seen Dally as someone who didn’t care about anyone.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Daly In The Outsiders

    2124 Words  | 9 Pages

    (11) All of these qualities are not very good ones to have. If you go out and get drunk every night, and lie and cheat, my guess is that you aren’t the most caring person in the world. This description of Dally makes him out to be a low life bum, who gets drunk and arrested frequently, which in the beginning of the book he was. The caring side of Johnny has not been revealed yet, so that’s why the only descriptions of Dally we get right now, make him look like a

    Read More

  • The Outsiders Dialectical Journal

    867 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ch 10 Pg 154 “ Dally didn’t die a hero.” The quote is significant by connecting to an Essential question because he said that Johnny died like a hero in the fire saving the children, and Dally died like a hoodlum robbing a bank.

    Read More

  • The Outsiders And Teenagers In The Outsiders By S. E Hinton

    851 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Running away won 't help.” Johnny was right. Ponyboy had people that loved and cared for him... they just didn 't know how to show it!” In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, proves that no matter what type of Social class you are; Greaser or Socs, family is most important and will help you get through the difficult parts in life.

    Read More

  • Teenagers In Gangs In The Outsiders, By S. E Hinton

    998 Words  | 4 Pages

    his father clobbered him around a lot” (Hinton, 32). “Dally hated doing things the legal way. He liked to show he didn’t care if there was a law or not (Hinton, 20). Johnny and Dally are both members of the Greasers and have different reasons to be part of it. Johnny wants to escape his bad home life, and

    Read More

  • Ponyboy Is A Hero Essay

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dally is not strong mentally (when he couldn’t let Johnny go), he really does not do good deeds, and he does not care about any other people than only Johnny, and he’s rude to others and bad at using words. A quotation that supports my statement is, “What for? Get back in here before I beat your head in.” (p.90) This quotation supports my statement because Dally said this to Ponyboy when he hopped off the car and said to see what the deal is when he saw the old church on fire, it proves that Dally does not care about other stuff that does not involve him and that he’s rude to others and using

    Read More

  • Rudeness In The Outsiders

    917 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The shade of difference that separates a greaser from a hood wasn 't present in Dally. ”(Hinton 10). The only person that Dally ever loved was Johnny. Johnny is a vulnerable sixteen year old who comes from an abusive home. The greasers are the only family that he has ever known and he is the pet of the gang.

    Read More

  • Violence In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

    613 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people have used violence to solve problems that they have at some point in their life, but as you look back at what you accomplished, you realized that violence doesn’t help you in a good way. Ponyboy learned that the hard way. In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton presents the idea that using violence against your rival(s) isn’t the solution, it is the problem. One scene that reveals the idea that violence isn’t the answer and that it can only hurt others, was in Chapter 3 when ponyboy talks about what happened to Johnny. He said, “Johnny was lying face down on the ground.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Love In The Outsiders

    906 Words  | 4 Pages

    Love - an intense feeling of deep affection. Love is an emotion shown in many romantic or family relationships as well as friendships. Love is shown frequently throughout the entirety of the book The Outsiders. For example, Dally is an extremely aggressive and audacious person, but he also shows immense love towards Johnny. Sodapop is a fun-loving, carefree high-school dropout, but he is understanding and shows love to both of his brothers by seeing both sides of an argument.

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

    435 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story The Outsiders written by S.E Hinton, there are two rival groups/ gangs, the greasers and the Socs. A young boy named Ponyboy explained his journey being a greaser and the sacrifices, consequences, and decisions he had to manage with. This story reminds me of William Shakespeare's story Romeo and Juliet of their similarities which are they gangs, fights, and loyalty and differences that are the wealthiness, behaviors, and between the two books. One of the similarities of the two books is the groups/ gangs, because in Romeo and Juliet there are the Montague and Capulets and in The Outsiders there are the greasers and the Socs. They are both enemies and try to sabotage and fight each other when every they have the chance to.

    Read More

  • Hyperbole And Exaggeration In The Outsiders

    370 Words  | 2 Pages

    S.E Hinton, the author uses hyperbole and exaggeration to describe Johnny as a dark little puppy and Dally as strong. Have you ever heard the quote “the good ones die young”?. In the book called The Outsiders characters show they aren't who people think they are. In the book named the outsiders written by S.E Hinton two characters named Johnny and dally decide to go into a burning church to save children from a school. As Johnny and dally were leaving there was huge turn of events.

    Read More

  • Family And Family In The Outsiders By S. E Hinton

    748 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you think of family you might think of adults and their children, or kids who lost their parents but are still related to each other. The Outsiders by S.E Hinton tells otherwise. It shows that even if you are not related, you can still be family; you can still have love and affection for each other. In the book, there is a contradiction between the gang’s biological family and their “family”. There is connection shown between the greasers from the Socs in the blue Mustang to Johnny dying in the hospital not wanting to see his mother.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Johnny Cade In The Outsiders

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    This shows how he gained back his self-confidence and his ability to stand up for himself. Johnny finally found his acceptance from Dally when Dally said, “We’re all so proud of you” (148). When Dally said that Ponyboy noticed Johnny’s eyes glowing, “Dally was proud of him... That was all he ever wanted” (148). In the letter he wrote to Ponyboy, “It’s worth saving those kids...

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In The Outsiders

    866 Words  | 4 Pages

    (1.48) After Johnny died, Dally makes an enormous sacrifice that took away his life. He loved Johnny so much that he couldn't take the fact he was gone. Dally was known to be the most cold-blooded member of the gang but after Johnny's death, he was the one who showed the most affection. Dally wouldn’t have been shot if he didn’t love Johnny so much, and sacrificed himself.

    Read More

More about Opposites Attract In The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

Open Document