Dallas Winston or 'Dally' is one of the main characters in the book The Outsiders. He is a very dynamic character. He is the toughest member of the outsiders' gang. He grew up in New York where he was toughened into a cold hater of the whole world. Dally's first characteristic is that he is tough. When in New York he was arrested when he was ten. 'Man, I thought New York was the only place to end up in a murder rap, Jesus Christ! '. Everyone in the gang knew Dally was the toughest and wasn't one to be messed with. How can I take it? Dally is tougher than I am. Why can I take it when Dally can't? ' Chapter 10, pg. 152. Dally's toughness was shown when he came to the rumble even though he was still injured from when the roof of the church collapsed on him and Johnny. 'You get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you... ' Chapter 9, pg. 147. Dally was tough, even when it came to breaking laws or even the fuzz (police). : 'He liked to show he didn't care whether there was a law or not. Chapter 2, pg. 20. Another characteristic of Dally's is that he cared about very little in the world. He hated nearly everything. 'The fight for self-preservation had hardened him against caring. ' Chapter 4, pg. 59. He was so full of hate and dislike that Ponyboy rationalized that Dally had almost no feeling other than hate at all. 'I wanted to cry, but Greasers don't cry in front of strangers. Some of us never cry at all. Like Dally and Two-Bit and Tim Shepard--they forgot how at an early age. ' Chapter 7, pg. 102.
Dally didn't even care that his parents didn't care about him. You think my old man gives a hang if I'm dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something, he doesn't care but that doesn't bother me. You're not going anywhere. There was on thing in the world Dally cared about, besides himself, and that was Johnny Cade. 'We gotta win that fight. I'm gonna get EVEN with those little Socs! Let's do it for Johnny, man. We're gonna do for Johnny! ' He didn't want Johnny to get hardened like he had. 'Johnny, you don't know what a few months in jail can do to you, man.
You get mean in jail, I just don't wanna see that happen to you like it happened to me, man. Understand? ' Johnny worshiped Dally. 'That was the first time I realized the extent of Johnny's hero-worship for Dallas Winston. ' Chapter 5, pg. 76 Johnny nearly considered Dally's word as unbreakable law. When Johnny and Ponyboy were going back with Dally, Ponyboy knew if Dally had said it would have been better to stay hidden, Johnny would have stayed hidden. When Johnny died Dally just couldn't take it because the only thing in the world he cared about had been taken away. Johnny's dead. Told him about beating the socs, I don't know. He just died. Told me to stay gold. Dally's gone. He couldn't take it, he's going to blow! ' Dally's dynamic character is shown through his changes through the book. In the beginning of the book he was tough and kept his reputation as a dangerous person. In the end of the book Dally was hit so hard by the death of the only thing he cared about, that he figured that he had nothing to live for and got himself killed. I enjoyed the book The Outsiders and recommend it to anyone who wishes to read a good book.
Author: Wilma Daniels