Hinton uses a combination of direct and indirect characterization to develop and fully realize Soda's character. Direct characterization occurs when the author or narrator tells readers an explicit detail about a character. This is how Ponyboy first tells readers about his second brother. Ponyboy tells us Soda's exact age and that Soda is always smiling.
I love Soda more than I've ever loved anyone, even Mom and Dad. He's always happy-go-lucky and grinning . . .
Ponyboy also tells readers that he doesn't think Soda will ever grow up, and this is a bit of indirect characterization. It lets us know that Soda is a kid at heart, and he is likely always to have that sense of play about him. These feelings are confirmed when we see Soda flipping and cartwheeling around.
"Yeah!" screamed Soda as he too did a flying somersault off the steps. He flipped up to walk on his hands and then did a no-hands cartwheel across the yard to beat Darry's performance.
This brief sequence also lets us know that Soda is extremely athletic. All of these early details help readers form the idea that there isn't much emotional depth to Soda; however, that couldn't be further from the truth. As the novel progresses, we see that Soda has emotional depth and a well-aimed moral compass. This is evidenced through his commitment to Sandy and the unborn child that isn't even his. Chapter 12 gives readers a really good look at how deeply Soda cares and feels for the health and wellness of his family. His parents are gone, so all he has is his brothers. It tears him apart when the family fights, and that is a far cry from the "happy-go-lucky" person we were introduced to.
"It's just . . . I can't stand to hear y'all fight . . . Sometimes I have to get out or . . . It's like a middleman in a tug o' war and I'm being split in half . . . We're all we've got left. We ought to be able to stick together against anything. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything."
S.E. Hinton develops Soda's character throughout the novel by gradually depicting his emotional depth and sensitive nature, which is something Sodapop rarely displays. Towards the beginning of the novel, Sodapop is depicted as a happy-go-lucky teenager who enjoys joking around and does not take life too seriously. However, Hinton gradually develops his character by depicting some of his difficulties in life, which warrant Soda's emotional reactions. Hinton begins developing Soda's character through Ponyboy's story about his brother's horse, Mickey Mouse. Pony's story portrays Sodapop as a sensitive, compassionate person, who has experienced tragedy before. Later on, Soda's character is further developed by his reaction to Sandy's letter as well as Darry and Ponyboy's heated arguments. After Darry and Pony catch up to Soda when he runs out of the house, Hinton once again displays Soda's vulnerable, sensitive personality. Overall, Hinton develops Sodapop's character by depicting various moments where he displays a myriad of emotions, which portray him as a compassionate, vulnerable teenager who typically suppresses his difficult emotions.
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