Nothing gold can stay and the outsider: what do they have in common

“ Nothing Gold Can Stay” Analysis Paragraph Report

In this poem, “ Nothing Gold Can Stay,” poet Robert Frost communicates the idea that nothing pure, innocent, or beautiful can stay preserved for long. He reveals the idea through the use of symbolism. In the first five lines of the poem, he is discusses nature and tells us that everything will eventually fade away and nothing will stay. He is comparing nature with our lives. “ Her hardest hue to hold.” This quote from line 2 is telling us that gold, which is referring to purity and innocence, is very hard to keep and it will eventually go away. It is similar to our lives. Everything we have that we love or cherish will die, fade, or go away. Nothing can be preserved. In line 6, he uses allusion to help us understand the theme. Frost refers to the story of Adam and Eve and how they lost their innocence. “ So Eden sank to grief.” I think he is telling us that everything will disappear. In the beginning, Adam and Eve had their purity and were innocent but after committing the sin, they lost that. This expands on the idea that everything that starts out golden doesn’t stay that way for long.

S. E. Hinton chose to reference this poem in her novel, The Outsiders, because both works of literature are similar in many ways. First, both poems discuss losing something or someone that is “ golden.” Ponyboy, for example, has lost a lot in his life that was important to him. He lost his mother, who he describes as “ golden and beautiful,” (48) and his father “ in an auto wreck” (3). He lost his hair that he really “ cherished.” Also, both poems have elements that talk about purity and innocence, which is referring to childhood in my opinion. I think S. E. Hinton is trying to tell us that you should enjoy your childhood for as long as you have it. I think that is one of her theme she is trying to stress, and maybe she uses the poem to support her theme. In your childhood, you are “ golden” and innocent. The poem tells us that nothing gold stays for long. An example is Darry. He was more innocent and pure when his parents were alive than he is currently it the book. As Darry was exposed to the world, he became harder and colder. Referring back, the poem says in line 2 that “ Her hardest hue to hold.” It is hard to hold on to the childhood, so S. E. Hinton is probably trying to tell us that you should enjoy it while it lasts. Although Ponyboy never quite got what the poem was about, S. E. Hinton is clearly connecting the message to the characters and the events in her novel, The Outsiders.