This essay was a big part of our grade. We did it to explain a quality our favorite character has.
Loyalty
Loyalty is when someone is willing to do anything for what they believe to be right or for
someone they love. A person who is loyal might save his or her friends from danger, not give up on a
cause even if it’s failing, or stand up for his or her friends when they need help. Friends, soldiers,
politicians, parents, and teachers are all loyal. Some loyal people are Barack Obama, Martin Luther King,
Jr., the SPCA, the AFRP, Lassie, and Harry Potter. Soda is loyal to his gang, especially his brothers, in the
book The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton.
For instance, Soda is loyal when he writes the letter to Ponyboy while Ponyboy is gone. Ponyboy
leaves town with Johnny after Bob, the Soc, dies. Soda writes Pony a letter and gives it to Dally to deliver.
Soda says in the letter, “Well, I guess you got into some trouble, huh?” (pg. 81). He shows loyalty to
Ponyboy by not turning the other way when he gets in trouble and communicating with him instead of
lying low. Ponyboy feels loved and secured by the letter. I think Soda helps them decide to come back
instead of hiding for a longer period of time.
Second, Soda is loyal when he helps and stays with Ponyboy while he is sick. Ponyboy is still
weak from the fire when the big fight with the Soc’s starts. He insists on fighting anyway, and his earlier
injuries hamper him. As a result, he is kicked in the head and gets a serious concussion. Soda carries him
back to the house and puts him in bed. In addition, Soda takes care of Ponyboy while he’s asleep. When
he wakes, he reflects to himself, “Soda must have pulled my shoes and shirt off for me; I was still
wearing my jeans,” (pg. 104). Darry comes in and sees that Pony is awake. Soda follows him and runs
over to Ponyboy. While Darry leaves to get food, Soda and Ponyboy fall asleep.
Lastly, Soda displays loyalty when he yells at his brothers and speaks his mind. Darry and
Ponyboy are arguing about Pony’s schoolwork when Soda walks in. Ponyboy thinks, “His face was white,
and when he looked at me his eyes were wide in a pained expression,” (pg. 174). Soda is sick of hearing
his only family fight and is already stressing out over a personal issue. Also, he is torn between the two
sides of the argument and feels that he can’t choose one over the other. Finally, he is torn apart by
loyalty to his family and runs away. Ponyboy and Darry run after him and tackle him to the ground. He
explains how he feels and tells Ponyboy that he is picking on Darry for every mistake he makes. The
brothers resolve their problems and head back home.
In conclusion, Soda is loyal all the way through The Outsiders. Soda is more loyal than he knows;
he writes a heartfelt letter to Ponyboy, takes care of him and yells at his only family for them to stop
fighting. If Soda hadn’t been loyal, Ponyboy might have come home to more conflict with Darry, which
would make Soda miserable. Sometimes I am loyal, but I’m not constantly loyal like Soda. If one of my
friends is upset, I don’t ignore them; I try to understand what’s wrong, so I can help. I always try to stay
loyal to my family, so if my cousin has an issue, instead of saying ‘Deal with it!’ I help her resolve it.
Sometimes though, if I hear something I disagree with, I don’t speak up against it, because I’m afraid I
will be excluded or maybe a friend will get mad if I disagree. I want to be more loyal to my feelings when
I feel like I can’t speak up. This quality influences my life by making me feel like I can’t refuse a friend if
the offer is reasonable. This offer can be good or bad, because if a friend asks for help, I help, but if I
have one cookie, and my friends ask for some, I feel disloyal if I don’t give some to them. Soda is willing
to do anything for what he believes to be right, and he has that quality.