Ponyboy Curtis probably changes more throughout the course
of The Outsiders than any other character. His loss of innocence is
a major theme of the novel. Pony is a good student at the start of the story, and he is
a member of the track team. Aside from the death of his parents, Pony has suffered less
than most of the characters. His older brother, Darry, tries to protect him from the
gang violence that erupts with the Socs, and he chastizes Pony after he is jumped by a
Soc gang while walking alone. Darry rarely allows Pony to go out on school days, for he
knows that Pony has a bright future ahead of him--unlike most of the other
greasers.
However, the attack by the Socs in the park
leaves Bob Sheldon dead, and Pony and Johnny decide to leave town and hide out in an
abandoned church outside Windrixville. Pony endures the fear of the unknown and worries
about what will happen to them when they are finally caught. When the church catches
fire (because of Pony's burning cigarette), he and Johnny scramble inside the burning
building to save the children inside. Pony's life changes forever following his heroic
act. Johnny is severely burned, and finally dies from his injuries, costing Pony his
best friend. His health has been compromised, and he receives a concussion in the
rumble. Following Johnny's death, Pony seem to give up hope of resuming his old life.
His friends worry that he has grown hard, like Dally, and they hope that he will return
to his old ways. In the end, when it appears that he may have to repeat a year of high
school, his English teacher allows him extra time to complete an essay. Pony decides to
tell his story, that of The Outsiders.
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