How is Johnny Cade A Hero?
In the first place, Johnny Cade is “the gang’s pet” (page 12) Ponyboy portrays Johnny as a “a little dark lost puppy” and a “puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers”(both from page 11) He is just 16 years old and Johnny has a truly harsh life. His dad was continually beating him, and his mom ignored him. He was the second-youngest and smallest among the greasers and had a slight form. Johnny has dark features, with “big black eyes in a tanned face” and “jet-black hair, heavily greased and combed to the side” longer than the other boys since it “fell in shaggy bangs across the forehead (all from page 11). As indicated by Ponyboy, Johnny had gotten beat up by four Socs before this story started. “‘I had never been jumped, but I had seen Johnny after the four Socs got hold of him, and it wasn’t pretty. Johnny was scared of his own shadow after that.(page 4)'” He is anxious by nature, continually looking behind him in case another Soc is nearby. The other greasers all love Johnny, for the most part in view of his terrible family life and his bad with the Socs, and that that he is a loyal, sensitive boy.
As the story progresses, Johnny appears to be bright and sensitive. From the beginning to the end of the story, Johnny and Ponyboy become closer. Johnny kills Bob after Bob tried to drown Ponyboy in the fountain and this shows Ponyboy loves his friends and will protect them “’I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade… they were gonna beat me up…. (page 57).'” After murdering Bob, Johnny plans to run away with Ponyboy with Dally’s assistance and that shows Johnny is clever ‘“We gotta get outta here. Get somewhere. Run away. The police’ll be here soon. We’ll need money and maybe a gun. And a plan. Dally’ll get us these things. (pages 57-58).’” This is the point at which we understand that Johnny is more intelligent than we think. While Ponyboy was sleeping, Johnny went out to get supplies like food and books for entertainment. Realizing that the newspaper will have their descriptions, Johnny decides to cut and bleach their hair because if anybody saw them, ideally they wouldn’t perceive their confronts hopefully they wouldn’t recognize their faces “’We are gonna have to cut our hair, and you’re gonna bleach yours. They’ll have our descriptions in the paper. We can’t fit ‘em. (page 71).’” When Johnny and Ponyboy were tired, they would read Gone with the Wind and Ponyboy begins to acknowledge Johnny could be deep and sensitive when he wants to.
Close to the end of the story, Johnny says “‘ We’re going back and turn ourselves in. I got a good chance of bein’ let off easy. I ain’t got no record with the fuzz and it was self-defense (page 87).”‘ When Johnny, Dally and Ponyboy return to the church after eating at Dairy Queen they see it’s on fire. Johnny instantly takes after Ponyboy who runs into the burning building and start rescuing the children who are stuck inside, in the process burning wood falls on his back. In the hospital, he’s in critical condition and has severe third degree burns on his body and his back is
broken. The doctors inform Darry and Ponyboy that Johnny will most likely be paralyzed if he survives his injuries.
When Ponyboy and Two-Bit visit him the following day, just before Johnny dies, he advises Pony to “”Stay gold (pg 148).”‘ At the time, Pony has no clue what he’s talking. In his letter to Pony he lets him know that he has been thinking the Robert Frost poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” that Pony recited when he and Johnny watched the sunrise on top of Jay Mountain. He clarifies that saving the children was the proper thing to do because it would’ve been hard for him to live with himself if he hadn’t attempted to help and the children had died. Johnny’s words show us a case of deep self esteem problems; he doesn’t think that his life is worth as much as the kids. In his letter he writes “Listen, I don’t mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for. Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it “ (pg 178).
Even as a hero, Johnny doesn’t really feel worthy of life. He’s been kicked around, ignored, and abused all his life. Outside of his gang of friends, he’s been told over and over that he has no value. Rescuing the children was a selfless action that Johnny performed willingly and performed well.