Violence suppressed in the protected walls of a house, murder carried out in the middle of the night, busted pop bottles, burned churches - all of this and more happens in the novel ‘The Outsiders’ written by S. E. Hinton, where there are many tough guys, and the toughest one of them is Dallas Winston. Through Dallas, Hinton tried to indicate that there are people in this world who are different from what they look like and what they expose themselves to the world.
Dallas is tougher than nails, is what they say, not hated but feared, and full of hatred for those who wronged him: “His eyes were blue, blazing ice, cold with hatred for the whole world” (10). He had a rough past and went through a lot at a young age, like being arrested. His record is far from clean. His reputation is that of a gangster. One would not like to be near him.
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And although he was always just cruel or rude, he was also very brave. S. E. Hinton exposes another side of Dally which shows that anyone is capable of doing great acts. Dally is very brave, he would do anything for him and have proven it. He recklessly put his life in danger to save his friend from danger. He does not think of any circumstances before doing something. He proves that the most lonely and hostile people are capable of doing the kindest acts. The following quotations confirm this: “First you and the black-haired kid climbing in that window, and then the tough-looking kid going back in to save him. Mrs. O’Briant and I think you were sent from straight from heaven. Or are you just professional heroes or something?” (79); “Dally was standing there, and when he saw me he screamed, ‘For Pete’s sake, get outa there! That roofs gonna cave in any minute’” (81).
As much as Dally seems tough on the outside, he is more dependent on his friends on the inside. His friend Johnny was all he had since his parents did not much care about him. Dallas is dependent on his friend more than he will ever admit. He is close to Johnny and loves him a lot like his brother, and probably the only one he loves in his world. Johnny was special, so when his injuries led to his death, Dally could not take it. Dally did not take Johnny’s death well and purposely got the police by making them think he was going to shoot someone, but he was not. He ended his suffering by using violence, the only thing he knew. He showed the world that he wanted them to see him as not a weak person who could not take his friend’s death and killed himself.
Dallas Winston is a lot more capable of strong feelings and good acts. In ‘The Outsiders’, S. E. Hinton releases his character slowly through different events to show his emotions. People are not who they say they are. He is a lot more on the inside.
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