| "You know what a greaser is? White trash with long greasy hair. You could use a bath, greaser. And a good working over. And we've got all night to do it." |
| — Bob to Ponyboy in The Outsiders |
Robert "Bob" Sheldon was Cherry Valance's boyfriend and a minor but pivotal character in The Outsiders. One night, when Ponyboy and Johnny are alone in the park, Bob and some other Socs come and pick a fight in revenge for the two boys picking up Bob and Randy's girlfriends after a drive-in movie earlier. Ponyboy smarts off to them, and they try to drown him in a nearby fountain. Johnny kills Bob, prompting the other Socs to flee.
He was portrayed by Leif Garrett.
Pre-Outsiders
According to Ponyboy, Johnny had been jumped by four Socs, and he had a scar from one of the Socs, who was wearing a lot of rings on his hand that cut up his face. That Soc was Bob, since he was wearing three heavy rings on his hand.
Character Description
Bob drank a lot, and he often got drunk. His girlfriend, Cherry Valance told him that she was never going out with him while he was drinking, and she meant it, but she and Marcia rode home with Bob and Randy to avoid a fight with Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit.
According to Bob's best friend, Randy, he got in trouble a lot, because his parents never said no to him, and they blamed themselves for his reckless behavior. Deep down, he was a good guy, and he wanted someone to set limits for him and give him some firm ground to stand on, which was exactly what all the other Socs wanted as well.
Ponyboy later looked through Sodapop's old yearbook, and he saw Bob's picture in it. Despite Cherry Valance telling him that Bob could also be sweet and friendly, he and his fellow Greasers only saw one side of his personality - a reckless, hot-tempered boy, both cocky and scared stiff at the same time.
Death
Bob was with some of the other Socs when they tried to drown Ponyboy in a nearby fountain. Johnny became scared and didn't know what to do, and he took out his switchblade and stabbed Bob to death, and the other Socs ran away.
After Death
Bob's death greatly affected Cherry Valance and Randy, making Cherry not want to visit Johnny in the hospital, and Randy calmed down and realized the futility of the fighting and conflict between the Greasers and the Socs. By the end of the novel, Ponyboy realizes the Socs are individuals with hardships of their own, and he has no interest in punishing the Socs for their own adversities, and goes as far as honoring Bob’s life in the theme he writes for English class.