Author’s Note: This is my final writing piece on the character Johnny and how he developed through entire book.
Johnny is my favorite character in the whole book. He is a greaser but he is not a bad guy. He might have started out a bad guy but in the end he is a good person. He helped save kids from a burning church. There are lots of reasons of how Johnny changed in good and bad ways. One good way that he changed was when he saved those kids. But one bad way he changed was when he killed Bob but that could be a good thing, because Bob could have killed Ponyboy. What he did was not right but Bob would have killed Ponyboy and Johnny so he did the only logical thing. He went and stabbed him. Johnny also develops other times in the story. Like when Ponyboy tells him the Nothing Gold Can Stay poem. He did not develop physically but mentally. Even in the end of the book when dying in the hospital his last words are “Stay gold Ponyboy.” I think that is my favorite quote from the story. So as you can see there are many ways Johnny develops as a character.
Like when he saved those children from the burning church. The world sees greasers as dirty, no good, rotten criminals. But when he went to save those children from the church, he was the opposite of what people thought of greasers like him. Greasers are supposed to be criminals, the bad guys, they are not supposed to save people. But Johnny and Ponyboy changed that stereotype. He turned from being a shy greaser to being this nice greaser. Who saved children from a burning church.
In addition to developing in good ways he does develop in bad ways too. One bad way he developed was when he stabbed Bob. Ponyboy was being drown by David and Bob was responsible so he did what he thought would save his best friend. What he did was not right but if you put yourself in his shoes you might have done the same thing. I know wouldn’t kill someone but I would do something to help one of my friends. I think that was a tough situation. So he might not have been thinking but he knew that if he didn’t do something fast they would drown Ponyboy and probably kill him too so he killed Bob, he was the leader so they all ran.
He also developed mentally too. I think toward the end of the book he realized what Nothing Gold Can Stay really meant. He realized that you can’t stay innocent forever. He realized that he wasn’t innocent anymore. He used to be but now he isn’t. He killed a man so now he isn’t. He realized his life changed when he stabbed Bob. He wasn’t this shy no - body of a guy anymore. He was now a man. He had a heart for others now that was when he really started developing as a character.
In conclusion out of all the characters Johnny has developed more than any other, in my eyes. In his life he realized so many different things and he developed so much. He now knows that he can’t be innocent forever. I think he appreciated life more towards the end of the book. He knows what the real meaning of the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay. That is how Johnny really developed as a character.
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