The Outsiders

In literature, a character often changes from the beginning to middle and to the end of a novel. In the novel The Outsiders, Ponyboy and Johnny undergo many changes. Ponyboy is an honor roll student and a good athlete in track. Pony also thought that his older brother Darry hated him because he was too strict with him. But when Pony's best friend Johnny died of injury from the church fire, Pony began to be in denial about Johnny's death. He started to drop grades and fail classes, He became scatter minded. When he read Johnny's note to him, he got over it and wrote a book for an English essay, and he found out that Darry really did love him. Johnny was a quiet, scared and abandoned teenager, yet when he was with the gang he felt happiness and forgot all his troubles. But when he saved the five children from the burning church, for the first time in his life he felt like a real hero. When he was in the hospital for his broken back and his burns he died from serious critical condition. He was made a hero to many and always remained in the memory of the gang. As you can see, change affects characters in literature in many different ways. Ponyboy got over Johnny's death and wrote an essay for English. Johnny became bolder, not scared, and lost his life do to injury.