Character Map – Dally

Blue eyesMessy hairAppearance“His eyes were blue, blazing eyes” (pg. 10)Dally’s eyes were blazing, because he it was full of hatred to the world. DallasWinston is a boy who has been separated from his family and live by himselfwherever he could. He thinks that the world is obnoxious and unpleasant. Those blazewere usually caused by anger or passion, and nobody would dare to talk to Dallywhenever his eyes were like that, not even the gang.“…he didn’t like haircuts, or hair oil either, so it fell over his forehead in wisps and kicked out in theback in tufts and curled behind his ears and along the nape of his neck.” (pg. 10)From the evidence, it is seen that Dally doesn’t really care about his opinion norwhat people thinks. He just do whatever he wants, like a free soul.. What’s importantto him are actions. Actions are things that represents a person. And Dally wants to beknown for what he has done, not really what he looks like.Courageous“but one night I saw Dally gettin’ picked up by the fuzz,and he kept real cool and calm the whole time. The wasgettin’ him for breakin’ out the windows in the schoolbuilding, and it was Two-Bit that did that. And Dallyknew it. But he just took the sentence without battin’ aneye or even denyin’ it. That’s gallant.” (pg. 76)Despite the fact that Dally was meanviolent, and all, Dally was there for the gang. Hetook the consequence that his mate should’ve got.Caring“I thought I aimed too high and brokeyour neck. I’m glad I didn’t,though” (pg. 124)Inside of Dallas Winston,there is a caring side, a side thatrarely shows up. He gives hisaffection usually to his friends.Tough“Tougher, colder, meaner.” (pg. 10)“…trying to figure out what there was about this tough looking hood that a girl like Cherry Valancecould love. ” (pg. 59)“Dally was a breed that could take anything” (pg. 88)Dally naturally becomes tough, as he goes through a tough life; getting jailed atthe age of 10, and spent 3 year of his life on the wild side of New York. He’s aperson that couldn’t love anything also a person that can take anything that happens.

BackgroundJailed young“…had been arrested at the age of 10.” (pg. 10)“You get hardened in jail” (pg. 90)He experience the toughness of life at such an early age, this might be one ofthe factor of why Dallas turned wild and dangerous. He got hardened during his timein prison and thought that the world is cruel and tough, and that in order to survive,he should also be like cruel, so he won’t get hurt easily.Broken-home“…his hatred for his father coming out in his soft, bitter voice, and the violence of his temper.” (pg.43)“…Dally growing up in the streets…” (pg. 90)“Or it might be Dally, who lived anywhere he could.” (pg. 105)Dally is the kind of person that could even stayed up a whole night just for afight. He doesn’t care that much about his life. Might be caused by the lack ofaffection, Dally grows into a violent, impolite, selfish grease. He wasn’t born cruelnatured,the fact that he turned that way is because he wouldn’t survive life if he’snice. He would be stressed by the fact that he’s separated from his family, and thathis only family was the gang, like how Johnny turned out to be, but if he gothardened he would still survive life, at least there’s something for him to be happyabout, like flirting and having partiesCriminal“He had been arrested, he got drunk, he rode in rodeos, lied, cheated, stole, rolled drunks, jump onsmall kids-he did everything ” (pg. 11)“He was too late, though; Dally walked out with two packages of Kools under his jacket.” (pg. 19)Even though he worked and earned money, Dally loves to party and drink. Don’thave to wonder where his wage gone to, but it is very obvious that he’s going to needa lot of money to fulfill his satisfaction. A violent hood, something that would satisfyhim would be being mean to people, but then, he does like having himself filed downthe police station. Maybe to him, it’s something fun.

BehaviorSwears a lot“…He started talking, loud enough for the two girls to hear. He started out bad and got worse.Dallas could talk awful dirty if he wanted to…” (pg. 20)“ …as I turned to go back for him, Dally swore at me and clubbed me across the back as hard ashe could…” (pg. 93)Event if Dally was proud of his vocabulary, he knows that it is a bad habit, yetthose words grew with him, and are all over his brain. He is a broken-home greasethat experienced a hard life and got hardened in jail. But sometimes, he just randomlyswears to got the attention of girls. He thinks that that’s what makes him attractive.Likes to drive fast“Dally always did like to drive fast, as of hedidn’t care whether he got to where he wasgoing or not.” (pg. 83)By his habits of driving fast, itcan be seen that Dally pays noattention to rules and regulations atall, he just does things that he enjoysto do. Also, he seemed like the personthat’s not afraid of death.Impatient“Dally was getting impatient. He put his feet up onthe back of the redhead’s chair, winked at me, andbeat his own record for saying something dirty” (pg.21)Dally sure likes to flirt, but he was thekind of person that doesn’t have like to waitand waste his time. He want things to bedone instantly.Hot-tempered“Dally was a different matter. If something beefed him, he didn’t keep quiet about it, and if yourubbed him the wrong way-look out. Not even Darry wanted to tangle with him. He wasdangerous” (pg. 89)It is very clear that Dally got fed up very easily. When something beefedhim, he would turn into a beast and blast you up. He can’t fully control his emotionthat well. There’s a problem, he got drunk, and wreck something, lastly he pays up. Healso got angry when someone told him what to do, but Dally rarely blows up. Oncehe’s mad, he’s merciless.

SpeechWorse than anyone else“You sure you want to go back? Us greasers get it worse than anyone else.” (pg.83)Dally was aware that if they really went back, they would got a severepunishment, for killing a person. The status “greaser” affects the way they gottreated. Dally has went through it and doesn’t want his friend to be treated thatway. He actually cares about their lives.Fighter-Rumbler“He mostly came to rub it in about the rumble. Man, I hate not bein’ in that.” (pg.124)“Don’t you know a rumble ain’t a rumble unless I’m in it?” (pg. 144)Growing up as a wild child, Dally certainly likes fight. Even though he was sick,he has the passion to win the rumble. Since Dally have extra affection to Johnny thegang’s “pet”; a sensitive, fragile boy, that take Dally as his hero, and whose facingthe death soon, he at least want to show Johnny that greasers can beat the Socs,greasers can win. This shows that once he have the determination to do something,then it will most certainly happen.You get hardened in jail“Johnny, you get hardened in jail. I don’t want it to happen to you, like it happened to me...” (pg. 90)Since Dally has went trough jail and suffered, he doesn’t want Johnny to sufferlike the way he did. Moreover, Dally is tough and hard but not Johnny. Ever sinceJohnny was beaten up by the Socs, he has gotten sensitive. Dally was concerned anddoesn’t want Johnny to be affected by the condition in jail.

OpinionDoesn’t bother about parents“Blast it, Johnny, why do they matter? Shoot, my old man don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail ordead in a car wreck, or drunk in the gutter. That don’t bother me none. ” (pg.88.)Dally doesn’t have respect to his parents, he also seemed to be uninterested inthem, both sides doesn’t care about one another. What he does, where he goes, orwhere he ends up, and also the other way round. For sure, Dally doesn't love them,and doesn't seem to mind that they don't love him very much either. Dally was ahood that can survive without the raise of parents. He understands what is the worldlike, but as a result of growing up wild, his life are mostly filled with parties,cigarettes, getting drunk, and crimes.Hauled for everything“I get hauled for everything that happens in our turf” (pg. 82)There were so many crimes Dally has done that the police thought most problemwere caused by Dally even if it wasn’t. From this proof, it is clear that Dally musthave done a considerable number of crime no reason, as he get hauled for mostlyeverything.Hate to do legal things“…- but Dally hated to do things the legal way. He liked to show that he didn’t care whether therewas a law or not. He went around trying to break the laws .” (pg. 20)“…and I knew he’d be mad because the paper made him out a hero for saving Johnny and didn’tsay much about his police record, which he was kind of proud of.”To Dallas Winston, it’s not trophies that makes a person that makes a personspecial. It should be something tough, something like winning rumbles, or being famousfor a crime. This might be the reason why he was quite proud of his police record.Well, those kind of titles are what he’s been aiming for, one of the reason that’s beenpushing him to do illegal things.

Other’s OpinionDidn’t die as a hero“Dally didn’t die a hero. He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew how he’d diesomeday” (pg. 154)Even though Dally helped the Johnny and Ponyboy during the hideout, gavemoney gun, and pulled Johnny out during the fire, nobody knew about that. Peopleassumed Dallas is just person that’s been doing bad things, break the laws, androbbed stores. In the eyes of other’s he’s just a cbad hood. But then, Dally didn’t wantto look nice either. He wants to look tough and all.Hardened beyond caring“…or hardened myself beyond caring, like Dally…” (pg. 47)Dally lives in a world where anyone else hardly matters, where toughness is the onlything needed to survive, for sure once, Dally’s not like this. Having to live with parentsuninterested in their own child and in an violent, dangerous world, it is very likely for Dallyto turn 180˚, from an innocent child into a hardened adult quite quickly. Dally was distressed.His actual life is full of anger and regret, but he barely ever show it.Liked the least“Of all us, Daly was the one I liked least…Dally was so real. I liked my books andclouds and sunsets. Dally was so real hescared me.” (pg. 76)Ponyboy was more of a dreamer,meanwhile Dally that has faced thebitterness of life have no time todream. Dally somewhat chose to justparty or do some crimes rather than towonder about unrealistic things.Never though Dally would break“He ran out like the devil was after him. He’sgonna blow up. He couldn’t take it.” (pg. 152)“So even Dally has a breaking point.” (pg. 152)For the whole story Daly hasmaintained to be a tough, and hardcharacter where most of his emotion wereonly anger, but then at the end of thestory, an unbelievable scene happened,where he finally broke to pieces andcouldn’t think straight after the only personhe loved went away.

By: Hyuna Hur - 9.1