Stay Golden In The Outsiders

The Outsiders: The Relevancy of “Stay Golden”
The greatest movies of all time are the ones that stand the test of time. The ones that you can relate to even if they came out more than 50 years ago. The Outsiders, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a classic drama written by a teen, for teens, played by teens. Showing the conflicts of teens in the 50’s and the struggle of being “golden” when surrounded by the harsh realities of the world you live in. According to “Francis Ford Coppola Biography.” on imdb.com, Francis Ford Coppola was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1939. Coppola grew up in a New york suburb with a Italian-American family who was very supportive of him. Coppola’s father was a musician and composer, and his mother was an actress.
Ponyboy Curtis and the Greasers have each others backs no matter what happens. When Johnny, a member of the greasers, kills a Soc to help save Ponyboy’s life, Johnny and Ponyboy have to hide out from the police. Struggling to hide from the law and survive, the boys somehow end up in the hospital after a act of heroism that puts johnny in critical condition. While the Greasers get ready for a turf battle, Johnny is learning more about youth and life. The Greasers faith stays strong even when Johnny ends up having to fight for his
Good or bad, Johnny is maturing way faster than he should. We see it when he smokes cigarettes, murders someone to help Ponyboy, and risks his life to save other children. At the time of Johnny’s death he is only 16 years old, yet he has the maturity of someone long beyond his years. He even tells Ponyboy to stay golden, which means to stay innocent and young. He’s saying that even though the Greasers is all Ponyboy has ever known he needs to stay young and a child for as long as he can. Once Ponyboy loses his innocence he won’t be able to get it back. Stay golden is still relevant even know. Whether it’s the temptation of drugs, alcohol and sex. Kids today are still growing up too fast. Trying to be ready for adulthood when they are still essentially only kids. It is also relevant in the way that there is a certain fresh mindedness that teenagers have. Ponyboy sees that there is a problem, that the only thing that separates the Greasers and the Socs are money, other than that they are the same. Still, Ponyboy only knows how to solve problems one way -- fighting. Maybe that’s also what Johnny means when he tells Ponyboy to stay golden. Maybe he’s saying to try to stay open minded, to see problems and to fix them. This movie is a heartbreaker that also teaches you a thing or two. It’s a story of youth, growing up, and undying friendship. It's a tearjerker and a heart melter. I loved it the second time I watched it as