It would've been very hard for him to live with himself if he hadn't tried to help and the kids had then died. Johnny saved the kids because it was the right thing to do. Is Johnny right? Can we say if one human life is worth more than another? Are the lives of five children worth more than the life of one teenage Johnny?Īll the same, this message shows that Johnny wants to protect others (like Pony and the kids) not only from physical harm (like the fire) but from loosing their innocence (like Johnny has from his rough, violent life). Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for. Sadly, Johnny seems to feel that his own innocence has been so completely lost that other (more innocent) people have more of a right to life than he does. Johnny explains that Pony's love of nature is part of his innocence, and that by holding on to this love, Pony can "stay gold." As the day goes on, it loses that innocence, just as human beings lose a lot of their innocence and purity when they grow up. In the poem, the speaker suggests that the sunrise (gold) is the most innocent, pure part of the day. Astute readers will remember the Robert Frost poem, " Nothing Gold Can Stay," that Pony recited when he and Johnny watched the sun rise on top of Jay Mountain. At the time, Pony has no idea what he's talking about. Just before he dies, Johnny tells Pony to "Stay gold" (10.119). But how do you feel about this? Did Johnny do the right thing? Did he have other options? Did he act in self-defense? Staying Gold All we know is that when Johnny stabbed Bob, David stopped trying to drown Pony in the fountain. Since the story is told from Pony's point of view, we never get the full details of the killing. Of course, this connection with the girls has some disastrous consequences since their boyfriends are Randy and Bob-the very Socials that beat Johnny so badly earlier in the year.Īnd that gets us into one of the trickiest territories of the novel-Johnny's killing of Bob. He even challenges his idol, Dallas, when he sees how uncomfortable Dallas is making Cherry and Marcia at the movies. We never see him being mean or mistreating others. The gang makes up Johnny's entire support system, but since they're struggling kids themselves, this support is far from sufficient.Įven though Johnny has had crummy role models, he's tries to stand up and be a good person. On top of that, he doesn't quite get enough to eat, he often sleeps outdoors, and is even contemplating suicide. I had never been jumped, but I had seen Johnny after the four Socs To make things even worse, Johnny was brutally beaten by the Socs last spring and now lives in a constant state of fear and PTSD: Johnny can stay away from home for long periods of time and nobody seems to care or notice, in sharp contrast to Pony's situation. When his parents aren't physically and or verbally abusing him, they're ignoring him. According to Pony, sixteen-year-old Johnny looks like "a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers" (1.49).
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