OutsidersCharacterAnalysisSSA15

How can someone be so timid yet so strong? So scared yet courageous. Live such a short life and experience something no teenager should. Johnny is such a diverse character. He changes so much throughout the book and goes through things that you and I could never imagine. He goes from being a timid teenager with greasy hair to being a hero who saves one of his best friends, and saves young children from a burning church. He may sound like a hero, but he's just like any other neighborhood kid.

Timid, at one point or another we've been afraid of something. What if you were afraid of just walking down the street? Afraid of going home or walking in your own neighborhood. Well, that's how Johnny is. He's timid. It's not like he was always this way, maybe he was just a happy kid running around with his buddies and listening to Bob Dylan & Stevie Wonder. At one point in his life, someone held a knife up to him. This changed the way he acted from that point on. He's even the gang's pet, especially Dally's. Ponyboy says, "He was the gang's pet, everyone's kid brother" (Hinton, 12). He was timid and very submissive. Ponyboy goes on to say that Johnny was like a little puppy who'd been kicked one too many times. Well, he doesn't just stay a little puppy forever. He changes like we all do at one point or another. He becomes amazingly brave.

Johnny being brave? After hearing how he's a submissive little puppy who can barely go against one of his friends how would he be brave? Well, I believe he's always been brave. Maybe it was just hidden for a while. He goes against his best friend, his hero and the person who he looks up to. Johnny stands up to Dally while they're at a drive in movie and he starts to annoy some soc girls. Johnny says, "Leave her alone Dally - You heard me, leave her alone" (Hinton, 24). Not only were the readers surprised, but also his friends who were there with him. He went from being a timid little puppy to being able to stand on his own two feet. At this point we can see how Johnny slowly changes into becoming someone who readers can look up to. He's brave, strong, and courageous.

Change, we all go through it at one point or another in our lives. Whether it be a physical change or a mental change within a person, we all go through it. Johnny, slowly turns from timid, to brave, and eventually courageous. At first, you'd think he'd stay a timid little boy throughout the story. In a sense, he does. He overcomes this though. He's scared but slowly builds up the courage to save his best friend. From being put under the knife by a soc, to being the attacker and saving his best friend from drowning; Johnny slowly starts to change. Though he had a burst of adrenaline and did what he had to do, we can still see that Johnny is hesitant when he killed Bob but would do the same thing if he had to choose what he had to do. "I killed him.. - I had to. They were going to kill you Pony" (Hinton, 33).

Timid, brave, and courageous Johnny. He will always resonate in me as the boy who went through hell and came out a hero. Abused by his parents, hurt by socs, and dying as a result of saving children from a burning church. Johnny will always stay golden within us. His great attributes can be looked upon like those of a hero. Well, that's what he is, he's a true hero. Johnny changes so much in the story, from being a weak little boy to being someone who can fight for his friends and save those who need him. He is definitely someone to look up to.