Pony is innocent because he acts without thinking, cares about others and doesn’t like to fight.
Pony is a greaser, and that means that he is one of a gang, but he is also a target for Socs. Pony doesn’t always think like a greaser, and this can be dangerous. For example, he likes to read books and go to the movies. Most greasers don’t.
Being alone leads to Socs jumping him. In one such incident, Darry reminds him that he needs to use his brain other places than school.
"What were you doin', walkin' by your lonesome?"
Leave it to good old Steve to bring up something like that.
"I was comin' home from the movies. I didn't think..."
"You don't ever think," Darry broke in, "not at home or anywhere when it counts. … (Ch. 1)
Although not necessarily intentional, walking alone was foolish. Pony has a tendency to forget that he is a greaser from time to time. This makes him naïve or innocent. He is introspective, but not always self-aware.
Pony cares about others. He is enamored of Cherry instantly because she tells him that everyone has problems, meaning both greasers and Socs. She is impressed by the fact that he is soulful and intelligent, and he is impressed by the fact that she is down-to-earth and thoughtful.
No, it wasn't Cherry the Soc who was helping us, it was Cherry the dreamer who watched sunsets and couldn't stand fights. It was hard to believe a Soc would help us, even a Soc that dug sunsets. (Ch. 6)
Pony also has a conversation with Randy about the rumble after the incident with the church. Randy knows that Pony is different, and that he too understands the desire to avoid fighting. Cherry, Johnny, and Randy all confide in Pony because they know he cares about others and takes time to understand how they feel. This is why Johnny tells Pony to stay gold. He wants him to keep his innocence.
Another way that Pony is different from the other greasers is that he really doesn’t like to fight. Some of the other greasers, maybe many of them, enjoy rumbles and fighting with Socs. Pony, on the other hand, is not good at fighting and prefers to avoid it.
I was silent most of the way home. I was thinking about the rumble. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and it wasn't from being ill. It was the same kind of helplessness I'd felt that night Darry yelled at me for going to sleep in the lot. I had the same deathly fear that something was going to happen that none of us could stop. (Ch. 8)
Pony just isn’t the fighting type. Two-bit tells him that he is never a chicken, but that doesn't mean he likes fighting. When he and Johnny get attacked by Bob and the other drunk greasers, he says he would fight if he had a weapon because Johnny was terrified and they would be fighting for their lives. It is about survival. Pony fights because he has to, not because he wants to.
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