In ¨The Outsiders¨ by S.E.Hinton, Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston are opposites that attract. Johnny and Dally are very close, but have very different personalities. Johnny and Dally both place little value on their lives. However, Johnny is the most law abiding and Dally is the least law abiding. At the same time, Johnny is a dynamic character and Dally is a static character. The similarities and differences between these two characters help their bond to grow and help them to survive on their own. One of the reasons Johnny and Dally are similar is the way their parents treat them.
Both Johnny and Dally have abusive, neglectful parents. When coming home from the movies, Johnny is brought back to reality when Ponyboy says, “‘An’ you can shut your trap Johnny Cade, ‘cause we all know you ain’t wanted at home either. And you can’t blame them’”(42). Although Ponyboy does not mean what he says, Johnny still knows that what he says it true. Likewise, Dally has a dad…show more content… Johnny knows that there are people somewhere with a greater reason to live. When an old church catches on fire Johnny is ready to take the risk and save the lives of the kids trapped inside, but in the end, Johnny gets burned. During his time at the hospital, Johnny writes a letter to Ponyboy saying. “Listen, I don’t mind dying now”(178). Johnny knows that the kids he saved have much more to live for than he does. Similarly, Dally has only one thing to hold onto, and that person is Johnny. Dally treats Johnny like a pet, or a kid-brother, but when Johnny dies, Dally has nothing to live for. With Johnny dead and no purpose in life, Dally decides he would be better off dead as well. Ponyboy watches in horror as,”Dally raised the gun, and I thought: You blasted fool. They don’t know you’re only bluffing”(154). As a result, Johnny dies as well. While there are many similarities between Johnny and Dally, there are also
