Johnny Cade's Heroism

What makes a person a hero? Perhaps heroism is defined by a large muscular figure, an unwavering bravery, and cape. This isn't always the case, however. In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Johnny Cade is a hero. He risked his life for others and was able to step-up and overcome his personal fears when others needed help. Johnny inadvertently finds that helping others gives his life meaning and worth. Johnny first shows his heroic qualities early in the story when he tells Dally to “Leave her alone,”(Ch 2, pg.32) referring to their first meeting with Cherry at the movies. This is important because Johnny admired Dally a lot and it took an extensive amount of courage for Johnny to stand up to his hero, especially since Cherry is a