✨Ponyboy and Johnny ✨

Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade are characters in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. They are both members of the Greasers, a teen gang in rural Oklahoma. The Greasers are constantly at odds with the Socials, a rival group. Ponyboy and Johnny are more like brothers than friends. They are willing to do anything necessary to protect one another. In the novel, Johnny kills one of the Socs (Bob). Ponyboy shares the blame with Johnny, so they run away to the countryside and stay at an abandoned church. In the 1983 film The Outsiders, Ponyboy is played by C. Thomas Howell and Johnny is played by Ralph Macchio. Johnny's small acts of courage lead to murder, death, and heroic rescue. However, he ends by advocating against gang violence. He states that he would gladly sacrifice his life for the lives of little children. Right before he dies in the hospital, Johnny says “Stay gold, Ponyboy”. Ponyboy cannot figure out what Johnny means until he reads the note Johnny left. Johnny writes that “stay gold” is a reference to the Robert Frost poem Ponyboy shared when they were hiding at the church.