6th hour Body Paragraph (copy and paste into Word)

6th hour Body Paragraph:

There are many such heroes present in The Outsiders. Many boys in this story go beyond their appearance or themselves for others. For example, Johnny Cade is usually a shy, scared boy who is too timid to take action. However, when a group of Socs is attempting to drown Ponyboy, Johnny finds courage to protect his friend by killing Bob, the Soc. When Ponyboy realizes what had happened, Johnny tells Ponyboy that he stabbed Bob because “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you” (52). Johnny reveals that he acted on behalf of his friend. He knows the consequences of his actions and that it will mean jail for him, or worse, but he makes the decision to sacrifice his own life in order to save his friend. Johnny’s heroic deed must have rubbed off on Ponyboy, because they both later save children from a burning church. As their friend Dally is driving them back from Dairy Queen, the boys notice the burning church, hear the children screaming, and despite the parents’ warning, rush into the burning building. After they rescue the children, one of the grateful parents exclaims that they are “the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time… are you just professional heroes or something?” (84). The parent is so overwhelmed because the boys came out of nowhere and risked their lives to save complete strangers. Above all, not only did Johnny risk his life, but he ended up giving his life for these kids since he died as a result of the fire. Thus, two of the main characters in this book do not look like typical heroes, but they become heroes when they selflessly consider others’ lives above their own.