Ponyboy has empathy for others and selflessly takes it upon himself to help people in need.
Explanation:
There are several scenes that depict Pony's selfless personality throughout the novel. After Johnny stabs and kills Bob Sheldon, Ponyboy acts selflessly by traveling to Windrixville and hiding out with Johnny. Although Ponyboy has no reason to hide from the police, he decides to be there for his friend and hide out with Johnny in the abandoned church. When Ponyboy learns that there are several children trapped inside of the burning church, Ponyboy risks his safety by entering the building to save the children. Fortunately, Ponyboy is unharmed and is able to save all of the children that were trapped inside. Towards the end of the novel, Ponyboy again displays his selfless personality after reading Johnny's letter. Ponyboy takes into consideration the feelings of hundreds of other boys who are experiencing similar struggles before he decides to the write the novel.
The setting that is used in this excerpt exemplifies the gothic style because the passage has a clear medieval tone used that can be understood by the reader to portray gothic values and morals. Upon further exploration of the text, it can be understood that the speaker or author meant for this passage to be seen in a darker light than most literature was portrayed during that time period.
