Characters In The Outsiders

Have you ever wondered what it was like to have a little more adventure in your life? Have you ever dreamed of being a kid again, when you were innocent and free to do whatever you like? In The Outsiders, there are a few characters who feel like they have not experienced enough in their lives. These characters have grown up too fast and have seen too many things in their lives. In this essay, I will be describing those characters and how they describe their feelings in the book.

“Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the sights you want to see.” (page 122) This quote refers to Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston. Both friends have spent most of their lives living on the streets. They’ve learned and seen a lot, but what they’ve learned is not what you would typically want to learn. Both characters had very rough

When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn. It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be.” (page 178) Robert Frost (1874-1963) wrote a poem called “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Ponyboy didn’t really understand what this poem’s deeper meaning was, but Johnny later figured it out and wrote it in his letter. Kids are naïve and innocent and are filled with joy and happiness until they grow older and see and understand life a little bit better. When you’re a kid, you’re pure like gold. Everything is new to you because you haven’t experienced anything yet. This is just like the dawn when a new day begins with new things to bring. However, that innocence and goodness do not last for long (“but only so an hour”). When you get older and really get to know