. When the boys are first hiding out in the church, Johnny does some shopping and picks up a paperback copy ofGone with the Wind. He says he remembers Ponyboy saying he always wanted to read it. This shows that Johnny listens to Ponyboy and remembers details about what he likes, wants, and dreams of. This is a sign of true friendship.

Ponyboy reads the novel aloud while they are hiding out in the church, and the boys discuss the themes and characters. One theme of Gone with the Wind is the American civil war. The characters in The Outsiders are engaged in a war, too. The two gangs, the greasers and the socs, fight for control of the city. The two sides in the American civil war in Gone with the Wind symbolize the two sides in the rumble in The Outsiders.

The male characters in Gone with the Wind are gentlemen and heroes, and Ponyboy and Johnny become heroes when they save the children from the burning church. Their discussion of behaving like a southern gentleman from Gone with the Wind might make them feel more heroic during and after their deed. Although Ponyboy and Johnny are young teenagers from the wrong side of the tracks, with nothing but their hair to distinguish them, the southern gentlemen described in Gone with the Wind symbolize Ponyboy and Johnny because they share the same heroic hearts.

When Johnny dies, he leaves the unfinished novel Gone with the Wind for Ponyboy. Ponyboy doesn't finish reading the novel without Johnny. For him, the novel symbolizes his friendship with Johnny and the close time they spent together. To finish reading it after Johnny's death would be like a betrayal. The unfinished novel symbolizes Johnny's unfinished life. 

Reading Gone with the Wind also symbolizes Ponyboy's intelligence. Near the end of the novel, his brother Darry finally admits that he is proud of Ponyboy when he tells him to stay in school and get a scholarship to college. This is important to Ponyboy as he has always felt that Darry didn't care for him. 

Find out more about The Outsiders on eNotes here. 

As was mentioned in the previous post, Ponyboy and Johnny read the novel Gone with the Wind while they are hiding out in the abandoned church. Both characters enjoy the novel, and Ponyboy mentions that he was impressed with the way Johnny was able to understand deeper concepts throughout the story. Pony says that Johnny was particularly interested in the chivalrous Southern gentlemen in the story. Johnny tells Ponyboy that the Southern gentlemen reminded him of Dally because of their gallant characters.

The novel Gone with the Wind revolves around the Civil War. The Greasers and Socs are also involved in their own kind of civil war in their city. The members of the Greasers are also courageous and gallant like the characters in the novel Gone with the Wind. Ponyboy and Johnny both enter the burning church in order to save the children trapped inside. Dally also reveals his gallant character by saving Johnny from the flames and fighting injured against the Socs. The novel also brings Ponyboy and Johnny closer together. Their friendship continues to grow after reading the story and sharing their thoughts.

Gone with the Wind is the book that Ponyboy and Johnny read together while they hide in the old church.  Johnny brings a copy of it back with him after getting supplies; he "remembered [Ponyboy] sayin' somethin' about it once" and "thought [he] could read it out loud and help kill time or something" (71).  Hinton uses the themes of bravery from the novel to make connections to her own characters' struggles. 

Ponyboy observes that Johnny "was especially stuck on the Southern gentleman--impressed with their manners and charm" (75).  He thought they were "gallant" and reminded him of Dally's coolness and implacable manner.  When the church catches on fire, Johnny is proud to have his own "gallant" moment when he runs into rescue the children.  Johnny's interest in Southern charm, mannerisms, and the bravery of the men during the Civil War reveals his own personal desire, not just for a more refined life, but to be able to face his troubles with courage.