In my book, "The Outsiders,"a church was burning with little children in it.  The two main characters, Ponyboy and Johnny started the fire on accident with their cigarate so they felt like it was their fault.  they saved all the children but in the event they got burnt up pretty badly. Ponyboy managed to survive but Johnny wasnt so lucky. He died leaving the rest of the characters depressed. I cant even picture how much pain Ponyboy must be going through due to the loss of his dear friend. Not only did Johnny's death hurt him but it hurt all of the characters. It was such a strong book that it make me smile, frown, and get so upset about what happened. The thing is, in this book you feel like you become a greaser and are invited into their society and feel their difficult way of life. I was soon a greaser too so I could to relate to them and understand everything. I absolutely loved it. Once i finished the book I wanted to cry! I loved to book too much!
My personal opinion about what the author was trying to tell me (the reader) is that love is the most powerful thing in the world. Which is the last thing that someone would expect from a book about though hoods and gangsters that jump each other. But all the hard things these characters went though brought them together, and made them love each other. (They never said it because they are gangsters)