What is a True Family?

Author’s note: This piece has been written to show what a true family is and how the greasers fit that definition.
What would your definition of a family be? The truth is a family doesn’t have to be blood related, it means more than that. A family is someone that is always there for you, cares about you, sticks up for you. You guys will stick together through thick and thin times. That is what true families are all about.
Throughout, Johnny’s life his parents have never been there for him. When Johnny was in the hospital from being severely burned, an old churches wood crushed his back, his face all purple and blue from the bruises he had gotten. He knew that he wasn’t going to last another day and he knew he was dying. His mother walked in those white and black front doors of the hospital, his friend Ponyboy and Two-bit told him. At that moment that they had told him she was there, Johnny told them to tell her to leave. He knew what was going to come out of his mother’s mouth. She would’ve told him how disappointed she was in him and how mad she was at him for getting hurt. Johnny just didn’t want to even see her the day that he died. He realized that she wasn’t important to him like the greasers were. Just like Dally he was one of the Socs when he was in high school, you can imagine him walking down the hallway and everybody wanted to be him. Until the day that his parents died and he had to give up his dream of being the star quarterback. He had to quit school to work and take care of his brothers so that they wouldn’t end up in foster care. That just shows how much that you can be blood related as a family but most people aren’t included the greasers.
Although, Johnny’s parents didn’t really take care of him the greasers did. The greasers were a group that hung out with one another. Dally and his brothers even leave their door unlocked at night in case one of the greasers don’t have anywhere else to sleep and just needs a place to stay. These boys stuck together even when Johnny had killed the socs leader Bob they stayed together and worked through it together, to make sure nobody got hurt. The day that Ponyboy got mugged two-bit said this “I guess it runs in our family”. That shows how they call themselves. There one big family. They also said that because Johnny also got mugged a while ago. “Sure little Buddy” that was the first time Darry has every called Ponyboy that, and that was the greatest day of Ponyboy’s life. That meant Darry does really love him and care for him. This really shows that you don’t have to be blood related to be a family. They stayed together through everything and they trusted one another and that is all a family needs.
I know what it’s like to be a family without being blood related. My soccer team and I are really close together. I feel I can tell them anything. We are always together and having a great time. We all stick up for one another and we stay together through thick and thin. Any of them could be my sister, actually it seems as they already are. I would do anything for them as they would do for me. Sense we bond so much it just feels like we are already a family. We are a soccer family.
Whether it’s a soccer team, people that are blood related to you, or just your best friend. You are all a family. Caring, sticking up for one another, staying together no matter what happens in your lives. This is all a definition of what a true family is, and that is what exactly the greasers are. They fit this definition perfectly.