In the novel, "The Outsiders," Dally did not die a hero, he committed suicide. Dally's character or reputation in the story portrays experience and strength, while only having a few weaknesses. Throughout the narrative, the main character, Ponyboy, recollects stories of Dally's time on the streets of New York where he gained experience in killers and gang bangers. Ponyboy also made remarks to Dally doing time in jail. The flaws that the author shows in the story are opinionated, meaning that his love for Johnny and the "outsiders" could be viewed as a weakness in an individual's opinion.
As mentioned throughout the fiction, Johnny looks up to Dally in many ways. Johnny is the pet of the gang because he is the least hood like and most quiet out of all of them. That makes him delicate, on top of being abused by his parents. Through all this, he is still likable…show more content… The factors that decide the difference between villains and heroes based on their actions, and most especially their actions after someone or something has wronged them. The specific reasons why Dally makes a victim and villain more than a hero are that he was hurting and chose to rob a store, and then purposefully lifted a gun to police officers knowing that he would get shot down immediately.
Based on all these observations and inferences, I don't believe that Dally died a hero. With all of his stories and feats told throughout the story, they did not save him from the grief of losing his "little buddy." Dally's emotions, recklessness, and upbringing created a tangled web in his life that broke apart when Johnny died and caused him to commit suicide out of pain. Although it was sad what happened to him and the gang felt more grief because of his passing, it doesn't make him a hero or what he did to himself anymore
