Skip to main content

What does Cherry Valance do in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton?

Cherry Valance is a Soc who talks to Pony at the movies. 


Cherry becomes friendly with Pony when they meet at the movies. Pony does not interact with many Soc girls, but Cherry is different. She complains about Dally because he is crude to her and her friends, but she thinks Johnny is nice and Soda is handsome. She also likes to talk to Pony. She believes he is deeper and more sensitive than...

Cherry Valance is a Soc who talks to Pony at the movies. 


Cherry becomes friendly with Pony when they meet at the movies. Pony does not interact with many Soc girls, but Cherry is different. She complains about Dally because he is crude to her and her friends, but she thinks Johnny is nice and Soda is handsome. She also likes to talk to Pony. She believes he is deeper and more sensitive than the other greasers. 


Cherry explains to Pony that things are tough for Socs, too. She makes him look at things from a Soc perspective. Not all Socs want to start fights or look down on greasers. Cherry may not want to hang out with Pony at school, but she is a nice person. 



It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset (Chapter 3). 



Cherry is level-headed. When her boyfriend Bob shows up drunk at the movies, she refuses to go with him. He comes back, and she knows if he sees her with the greasers a fight could start. Cherry and her friend Marcia agree to get in the car.


A fight does start, and Johnny kills Bob. Cherry is upset, but she understands. She tells the police Bob was drunk and it was not their fault. Even though she loved Bob, she testifies for Johnny. Dally calls Cherry a spy because she tries to warn the greasers ahead of the rumble. 



She said she felt that the whole mess was her fault, which it is, and that she'd keep up with what was comin' off with the Socs in the rumble and would testify that the Socs were drunk and looking for a fight and that you fought back in self-defense (Chapter 6).



Cherry is still a Soc. She doesn’t hang out with Johnny at school. She knows that they can’t be friends. Nonetheless, she is a good person. She treats the greasers with respect. She doesn’t hold Bob’s death against them. She also testifies for them and tries to protect them. She is a genuine and good person.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...
Post a Comment
Read more