Outsiders Reflection

In chapter 2 of The Outsiders  by S.E Hinton The character Johnny is described as the gangs pet. As I approached this it confused me. Johnny is a human being, and in no way shape or form represents a house pet. But maybe this is a symbol for something else... In class it was stated that “pet” was a metaphor in being that Johnny was treated as a pet in the gang. Still confused a reader might ask you don’t honestly pet him and tell him he’s a good boy. So what? What does Johnny as a pet represent? Well most characters have wants and fears. Hinton does a great job relating almost every character trait to the characters wants and fears. Think about pets lives ... They wake up  eat, lay down, eat, sleep. Thats their day every day. Pets don’t have responsibilities. The owner does. In this case Johnny is the pet and the gang are the owner. So if you’re the owner and the pet bites you do you bite back? Short answer, no. In chapter 2  Johnny says “ ‘Leave her alone, Dally.’ ‘Huh?’ Dally was taken off guard.” (Pg. 24) Dally is one of the toughest in the group. Nobody really messed with him like that. Especially Johnny. Going back to the metaphor, most house pets don’t “act out”. And Dally showed that if they do you don’t do anything back. Their pets, their stupid. But when its comes to this book, stupid is a strong word. In The Outsiders theres book stupid and street stupid. The difference? Knowing how to act when your around other gangs and dealing with fights in alleys. School stupid is book smarts, your grades in school. Stupid in the context of The Outsiders is a very general word. But then arose another question. Why does a gang even have a pet? The greasers certainly don't need a pet. So why have one? I guess they don’t talk about him as one. While reading the whole book a reader always has to consider that all of the thoughts are from Ponyboys perspective. These are a few things I observed from reading chapters 2 & 3 of The Outsiders.