S.E. Hilton shows a bold relationship between Ponyboy and Johnny, which gets brighter throughout the book. These two character are very similar to one another. Not only do they belong to the same group of Greasors, their thoughts and opinions about things around them are quite similar. While all the other people in their Greasor group: Dally, Two-Bit, Darry, Sodapop and more after girls and stealing, Johnny and Ponyboy tend to stay away from those things. One major characteristic that sets these two characters apart from their other teammates is the bit of innocence they still have left in them. One part they show their innocence and bravery is when they saved the schoolchildren in the burning church. Johnny and Ponyboy run to the burning house thinking the burning might have started with the cigarette butt they were smoking earlier. They got all the children out, but at the very last moment the roof caves in on Johnny, who tries to push Ponyboy out of the way earlier to save him. This scene shows Ponyboy and Johnny's individuality that is more than just the title of Greasors. Johnny's action of pushing Ponyboy away from the church before the roof caves in shows his love for Ponyboy. Even though Johnny has a bad family background, the Greasor group, where he spent most of his time in has brought the good in him. On the other hand, Ponyboy's "good" side comes from his brothers (Darry and Sodapop), who constantly push Ponyboy to do better. The two characters, Darry and Sodapop make complete parents for Johnny. In my opinion, it is really necessary for one parent to be more strict, while the other need to be a little softer. In this case, Darry is stricter and Sodapop is softer. Darry makes Ponyboy realize about his mistakes, while Sodapop comes afterwards to help make Ponyboy understand why Darry said those harsh words. This system of parenting make the relationship between the characters tighter.
In addition, another scene where the readers see the brotherhood of Johnny and Ponyboy is when Johnny is in the last stages of his life. Right before hiding under the cover of death, Johnny says, "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay Gold" (Outsiders). Imagine yourself leaving permanently from a location to the other by yourself. Who would you think about or talk to? The only thing that would be going in my mind is the picture of my parents. Johnny is thinking about Ponyboy, a character that is nothing more than a member of the Greasor group. His phrase shows how Johnny wants Ponyboy to stay who he is--innocent, fun, and himself. Gold is a very expensive metal that never loses its color. Johnny thinks of Ponyboy as gold (precious). Johnny's attitude towards Ponyboy was inspirational through the story. This scene reminded me of a quote that I read or someone told me a very longtime ago. It went something like this, "You come to this world knowing two people: Mother and Father, you have to know the rest by yourself"(Outsiders). I am not sure how it went, but something like this.
