Why did Ponyboy take responsibility for Bob's death in The Outsiders?

Ponyboy didn’t try to assume responsibility—instead, he is convinced that he did stab Bob. Ponyboy is having a mental break in chapter 11 of the novel, and he is misremembering the event that happened in chapter 4. In chapter 11, when he talks to Randy, he acts like he is the one who killed Bob because he is experiencing a break from reality. He tells Randy,

I had the Knife. I killed Bob.

Ponyboy has convinced himself that Johnny isn’t dead—he also feels like everyone who says that Johnny is gone and killed Bob is doing it to give Johnny a bad name. He “assumes responsibility” because of his deteriorated mental state and the guilt he feels at Johnny’s death. Despite thinking he killed Bob, Ponyboy is not questioned about his death at the trial, and he is acquitted.

When Johnny and Ponyboy are attacked by the Socs, they realize they are not only outnumbered, but also physically smaller and younger and less experienced fighters. They honestly fear for their lives, especially when Bob appears to be particularly vengeful. Johnny is accustomed to getting bullied and beaten up at home by his father, and something inside him snaps. In self-defense, he lashes back back and ends up killing Bob. He feels devastated, as he didn’t want to kill him—he was just protecting himself and Ponyboy.

Ponyboy is well aware of Johnny’s home situation and feels protective of him. He knows he deals with fear and violence on a daily basis, so he takes the blame, saying that he was the one who killed Bob. Ponyboy was also likely mirroring his oldest brother Darry’s behavior. Darry had become Ponyboy’s guardian after the death of their parents. Ponyboy saw how Darry was very protective and watchful over him. He wanted to do the same for Johnny, who couldn’t trust or rely upon his own family. The Greasers were essentially each other’s family and stuck together.

Why does Ponyboy insist that he killed Bob in The Outsiders?

Like many people who have lived through a traumatic experience, it is possible that Ponyboy is suffering from denial. He refuses to beleive that Johnny has died. He even becomes angry with Randy when he visits to give his condolences.

We could probably infer that Ponyboy's refusing to beleive Johnny was dead was his not wanting to cope with the death of yet another loved one. Even after Johnny's death, Ponyboy is still compelled to protect Johnny, just as he did when Johnny was alive. This is why he tells Randy his intentions of telling the judge that he is the one responsible for Bob's death.

Can you provide an example of Ponyboy being responsible in The Outsiders?

In chapter six, Dally travels to Windrixville to visit the boys and takes them out to eat at Dairy Queen. After they eat, Dally drives them back to their hideout, and they are astonished to discover that the abandoned church is on fire. As Pony watches the church burn, a bystander mentions that there are children trapped inside. Pony then accepts responsibility for starting the church fire by telling Johnny,

"I bet we started it . . . We must have dropped a lighted cigarette or something" (Hinton, 77).

Pony then acts responsibly by deciding to enter the burning church to save the defenseless children. Pony tells the bystander, "I'll get them, don't worry! . . . I'll get them. You kids stay out!" (Hinton, 78)

In the final chapter, Pony and Darry get into a heated argument concerning Pony's bad grades, and Soda dramatically runs out of the house. Pony and Darry proceed to chase Soda down and finally catch up to him. Pony then listens as Soda laments about his constant arguments with Darry and explains how their controversial relationship negatively affects him. After listening to Soda describe his feelings, Pony takes responsibility for making Soda's life difficult and forcing him to choose sides. Pony then promises to stop fighting with Darry and mentions,

"Darry and I would probably still have misunderstandings—we were too different not to—but no more fights. We couldn't do anything to hurt Soda. Sodapop would always be the middleman, but that didn't mean he had to keep getting pulled apart. Instead of Darry and me pulling me apart, he'd be pulling us together" (Hinton, 50).

One moment in which Ponyboy acts responsibly in The Outsiders is when he stops to pick up the broken glass which had fallen from the smashed bottle in the confrontation with the Socs outside the neighborhood grocery store in Chapter 12. Ponyboy had threatened the Socs, telling them "You get back into your car or you'll get split," but only a moment later he stoops down and picks up the shards (171).  Ponyboy's actions reveal that although he talked tough, he still has a good heart and conscience.  He took responsibility for his action of breaking the bottle and then followed through by cleaning up the mess he made.  Through narration, Ponyboy confesses that he "didn't want anyone to get a flat tire" (172).

This moment in The Outsiders is just another great example of how Ponyboy struggles to define his character between tough hood and responsible citizen. 

What are three ways Ponyboy takes responsibility for his actions in The Outsiders?

Ponyboy is quick to realize that it was probably his and Johnny's cigarettes that caused the fire at the abandoned church, and when he realized that there were children trapped inside, he was quick to act. He "started at a dead run for the church," and broke out a window and climbed inside. He successfully carried two or three children to safety before the roof caved in behind him.

Pony also accepted responsibility for the death of Bob Sheldon in the park. For a while, he refused to admit that it was Johnny who had killed Bob, telling Randy that "I had the knife. I killed Bob." By earlier deciding to return from hiding and face the consequences of Bob's death, he agreed to bide by the results of the court hearing. When he found that the arguments with Darry were affecting Sodapop, Pony and Darry agreed to stop their feuding for Soda's sake.

When he discovered that he might fail his English class, Pony eventually decided to complete the essay that his teacher had required him to write. He finally came up with a topic: He would write about his experiences with Johnny and Dally and their deaths--the basis for The Outsiders.