Johnny And Dally Comparison

Comparing & Contrasting Dally VS. Johnny

How can two different people be so much alike? How can one man who lives in a poor environment and neighborhood have so much in common with a man that lives in a rich neighborhood? But, in S.E. Hintons novel The Outsiders, these two characters do indeed exist. Dally Winston and Johnny Cade are very similar because they each have abusive and neglectful parents and they both care about each other. Besides the similarities, Dally and Johnny have much different advice for they friend Ponyboy Curtis and they each die with a different story, Johnny dying a hero and Dally dying a hoodlum. In addition to Dally Winston and Johnny Cade having huge differences they also have some important similarities that

they share.
Dally Winston and Johnny Cade have a modest amount of similarities, and one that sticks out the most is that they both have abusive and neglectful parents. For instance, Dally is always finding someplace to stay and sleep at because he will refuse to go to his parents house because his parents will either beat him or kick him out. Ponyboy and all his friends think Dally is just trying to play it cool about everything that happened between him and his parents. That is the figure Dally is trying to play, tough and cool with no care in the world, but as Pony got to know Dally better and better he said... “I felt sorry for Dally. He meant it when he said he didn’t care about his parents”(88). Pony realizes Dallas is not playing it “cool” he is actually not trying at all. That is the real him, he is not lying when he states that he does not at all care about his parents. Furthermore, Johnny, the sixteen year old teenager, also has a bad situation with his parents. Like Dally, Johnny is usually nomadic, finding a new safe place to sleep at night. One night Johnny did not want to be in his own home with his parents that beat him and neglect him, so Ponyboy invited him to stay at their house for the night. Ponyboy says of Johnny “His father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him except when she was hacked off at something, and then you could hear her yelling at him clear down at our house”(12). The sad thing is, Johnny likes being hit, only to find out it is because that is the only time his parents will pay attention to him. As a final point, Johnny and Dallas both have a strong similarity of how they both have neglectful and abusive parents.
Another way that Johnny and Dally are similar is they both sincerely care for each other.

For example, Johnny is physically the smallest of the group and Dally is always the one there to look out for him and help him with everything that is going on. Dally never has these parent/guardian like feelings for anyone else in the group, he clearly likes and cares for Johnny the most. Even Ponyboy realizes it when he says, “Dally is tougher than I am. Why can I take it and Dally can’t? And then I knew. Johnny was the only thing Dally loved. And now Johnny was gone”(152). Pony makes it crystal clear that Dallas cares for each other unconditionally. Similarly, Johnny has great affection and care for Dally. He realizes he can always look up to Dallas for anything and Dallas always has his back whenever Johnny is in need of some help or advice. When Ponyboy says, “Johnny worshiped the ground Dallas walked on, and I have never heard Johnny talk back to anyone, much less his hero ”(25). Like Dallas, Johnny looks up to Dally as his hero and care so greatly about him. Very much alike with each other, Dally and Johnny Both care for each other unconditionally. Therefore, Dally and Johnny are genuinely similar in many

ways.
As much as Johnny and Dally are similar, they are also different in many ways, particularly when it comes to advice for his friend Ponyboy. For example, Dally is the tough one from the group. He suggests for Ponyboy to be tough and show no emotions. Dallas thinks being cold and mean will get you to be successful and get through life without any problems. Ponyboy seems fine just the way he is but Dally clearly does not think so, “...You’d better wise up, Pony… you get tough like me and you don’t get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin’ can touch you...”(147). When Dallas says this he truly means it. He does not believe there is any other to get through tough situations without getting down and dirty, so that is exactly what he tells Pony to do. Moreover, Dally is Telling Pony to stop acting like himself and to change the way he is. Dissimilarity, Johnny Cade gives the best advice from the group, almost completely opposite from Dally’s advice. Johnny tries to live as easy as possible. He is a great advice giver but he does not speak aloud or just no one listens to him clear enough. After the large event of the greasers winning the rumble Johnny only have a few words to say to Ponyboy, “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold...”(148). Johnny is telling Pony to stay the way he is and not change anything about him. Unlike what Dallys advice was for Ponyboy. Johnny wants Pony to keep everything about him, The way he likes to watch the sunrise and the way that he is different from the rest of the greasers. Johnny wants him to stay gold. Unalike, Dally and Johnny are completely the opposite when it comes to giving advice to their friend Ponyboy. Under these circumstances it sets these two boys far apart.
Another difference between Johnny and Dally are the importance of their lives.

For instance, Dally did not have much to live for. No family that loved him except for Johnny, just a couple of Old’ friends. He already has a police record, because of how is is so disobedient to the laws. The only fun in Dallys life was picking up girls and finding some new ways to break the law. He never cared for anyone but Johnny, and once Johnny had died that was the end. Dallas did not know how else to handle himself. When Darry got the phone call Ponyboys thoughts scattered then came to a conclusion, “But I knew that was what he wanted, even as the lot echoed with the cracks of the shots, even as I begged silently please, not him… not him and Johnny both - I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted”(154). Like Pony said, Dally always got what he wanted and he definitely did. Once Johnny died he did not care about anything in life. Conversely, Johnny had a lot to live for. He is only sixteen years old and he has a lot ahead of him. Johnny was very law abiding he tried hard not to get into any trouble or break any laws. Now that he has made that mistake with Bob he thinks he has ruined his whole life. He has not, there is much more ahead of him. Johnny had died a hero by saving all those kids at the burning church. He finally understands, “Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It's worth it, It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are

worth more than mine, they have more to live for”(178). Johnny finally sees the good in this situation. He has risked his life for others and now he understands. Johnny had died with almost no imperfections, but Dally had too many to count. They had died with two different stories and lives. The difference was, Johnny dies a hero and Daly dies a hoodlum.
In S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, the two characters Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston, are similar in some ways but, are also very different. Dally Winston and Johnny Cade are very different because of their personalities and how they look at the world. Although they each grew up in the same environment they are still much different. Johnny is more of a soft and sensitive character, and Dally is more of a tough and serious character. However, notwithstanding the differences these two characters indeed have things in common as well. Both Johnny and Dallas have parent who disobey, abuse, and neglect them. This also probably explains why they each care about eachother so much. These two young men in The Outsiders are very different people with different personalities but the same problems.