Why do you think the attack on Johnny was so traumatic to him, and what is the significance of Ponyboy's statement that nobody would ever beat...

I feel that the attack on Johnny was so traumatic to him because he nearly lost his life. When Ponyboy describes the vicious attack to Cherry, he mentions that Johnny was beaten so badly that he thought he might be dead. Johnny's entire face was cut and swollen. Any victim of a brutal attack similar to the one Johnny experienced would be fearful of another attack, and nervous to get caught defenseless again. After the attack, Ponyboy mentions that Johnny carried a switchblade around with him and refused to walk anywhere by himself. Ponyboy comments that Johnny would use his switchblade and kill the next person who jumped him. He says, "Nobody was ever going to beat him like that again. Not over his dead body..." (Hinton 34) This comment is significant because it foreshadows the scene in Chapter 4 where Johnny uses his switchblade in self-defense to avoid being beaten by a gang of Socs. Unfortunately, Johnny's actions result in the death of Bob Sheldon, which is significant to the plot of the novel.