The Similarities Between Winston And Hurnley In The Outsiders By Arthur Miller

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How can two people whose lives are so different have so much in common? How can a young man growing up with everything he could possibly want have anything in common with someone who has known only poverty and hardship his entire life? It seems impossible. However, in S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, there are two such characters. Dally Winston and Bob Sheldon are similar because both enjoy fighting and have parents who do not give them the attention they require. Yet, despite these similarities, Dally and Bob have dissimilar personalities and opposite financial situations. Therefore, Dally Winston and Bob Sheldon have enormous differences in their lives, but also significant similarities. Dally Winston and Bob Sheldon have one very …show more content…

For instance, Dally is mean, rude and tough, and Bob, although he is mean to greasers, has a nice personality towards those he likes. Even to his friends, Dally comes across as cold and mean. Ponyboy describes his eyes as “blue, blazing ice, cold with a hatred of the whole world” (10). Dally enjoys being a menace to society and the bane of the city’s police force. In fact, Dally slashes the tires on the car of his friend Tim Shepard. Ponyboy states: “Dally didn’t give a Yankee dime about anyone but himself, and he was cold and hard and mean” (90). With a friend like Dally, who would need an enemy? Conversely, Bob Sheldon is a nice guy when he is not under the influence of alcohol. Cherry Valance, Bob’s girlfriend, says, “He could be sweet sometimes, and friendly” (128). If Cherry fell in love with Bob, then he must have a good side. Furthermore, Bob’s best friend Randy tells Ponyboy, “Bob was a good guy. He was the best buddy a guy ever had” (116). People clearly like Bob. Would anyone describe Dally as the best buddy a guy ever had? Tim Shepard clearly would not see him that way. Even Ponyboy, at the beginning of the novel, states that he does not like Dally. Therefore, Dally and Bob’s personalities set them apart. The variances in their personalities show that they are, in some ways, very different …show more content…

E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, the two characters Dally Winston and Bob Sheldon, although similar in some significant ways, also are quite different. Dally Winston and Bob Sheldon come from dissimilar circumstances, and this may help explain why they have such diverse personalities. Living in poverty his entire life has made Dally a mean and angry young man. Conversely, living in the lap of luxury, Bob has no reason to be angry at the world. His disdain for greasers does not extend to his friends who know him as a sweet and friendly person. However, despite the stark differences in their living conditions and personalities, these characters do have things in common. Both Dally and Bob have parents who neglect them in their own way and, perhaps because of this, both enjoy engaging in fights. They are two different characters who share some vastly similar

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