THE OUTSIDERS

STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

"STAY GOLD PONYBOY. STAY GOLD."

In this quote, "Stay Gold Ponyboy. Stay Gold". Johnny is giving Ponyboy important advice. This advice is very important to Ponyboy because it is telling him to stay strong and himself. This piece of advice from Johnny is important because on page 147 Dally gives Ponyboy different advice. He tells him to become more like himself and change the way he is. Dally tells him to act more tough and not love anything in the world. Although they both say different things, Ponyboy decides to listen to Johnny and stay the way that he is because Ponyboy is a good person and he can tell good from the bad.

Another example of when someone tells Ponyboy to stay true to himself on page 171
"Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be..."

In this passage, Two-Bit is telling Ponyboy to stay they way he is so that he won't become mean, cold, and tough like some of the Greasers.

PAGE 147:
"I was crazy, you know that, kid? Crazy for wantin' Johnny to stay outa trouble, for not wantin' him to get hard. If he'd been like me he'd never have been in this mess. If he's got smart like me he'd never have run into that church. That's what you get for helping people. Editorials in the papers and a lot of trouble…You better wise up, Pony…You get tough like me and nothing can touch you..."

WHAT DALLY MEANT WAS…
THAT IF PONYBOY AND JOHNNY WERE MORE LIKE HIM, THEY WOULDN'T BE HURT AND THEY WOULD BE TOUGH AND NOTHING COULD HURT THEM OT BOTHER THEM.

A 6th grader could use this quote because if someone tells you to stay true to yourself and listen to them, you will probably end up much more happy, healthy, smart, and fun to be around.

IF YOU DON'T STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF...

• You could end up like Dally and make silly choices
• Try to act like someone else and not do a good job
• You could become depressed, angry, and gloomy

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