Dally Dally In The Outsiders

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

For example, Dally is one of the poor greasers from the east side of the city, and Bob is a very rich Soc from the west side of the city. Dally, being a greaser from the east side of the city, has very little material wealth. Ponyboy states about all the greasers, “We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class” (3). What little money Dally has he earns riding in local rodeos. He does not even own a car, but borrows Buck Merill’s when he needs one. In fact, Dally does not even have a permanent home. Ponyboy states that Dally “lived anywhere he could” (105). Therefore, Dally is an underprivileged greaser with little money and few possessions. On the contrary, Bob Sheldon is one of the extremely rich Socs from the west side of the city. Bob has no reason to work because everything he wants is handed to him by his affluent parents. Ponyboy describes the Socs, Bob’s click, as “the jet set, the West-side rich kids” (2). The Socs all seem to drive around in expensive sports cars and wear costly madras clothing, and Bob is no exception. Randy states that Bob’s parents “‘spoiled him rotten’” (116). Unlike Dally, Bob has everything he wants. Money and material things are not a concern. Clearly, financial circumstances set these two

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