The Outsiders Why Do Good Things Last Forever

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Why don’t good things last forever? S.E Hinton's The Outsiders is a story about a 14 year old boy. One night changed his life forever. The Greaser’s rivalry with the upper class gang the Socs has stuck to small fights, but nothing too serious. One night Ponyboy, the main character, and his best friend a 16 year old boy Johnny who is all so in the gang take things a little too far with murder. This story shows the theme of nothing good lasts forever through the characters of Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally. As Ponyboy is sitting with Johnny watching the sunset at the old abandoned church they had been staying at for a few nights after killing a soc and running away from home. As they sit talking about how pretty the sunset is “to bad it couldn’t stay like that all the time, nothing gold can stay” (P 77) Ponyboy said which reminded him of the poem. He recites it to Johnny they both really like the poem but neither of the are sure what it means . Over time they seem to figure out that it means, to stay good is to stay good or pure. Theses two words change Ponyboy's life using “stay gold” as a goal helps Ponyboy stay on the right track and look at life more positively. The church reminds him of the poem because the sunset is beautiful but it fades fast. …show more content…

In the letter Johnny also tells Ponyboy to stay gold which makes it clearly significant. After Johnny's death, Ponyboy opens the book “Gone With The Wind” that Johnny gave him, a letter falls out from Johnny, as Ponyboy sit reading the letter “ Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be (P 178). Johnny tells him. Johnny tells Ponyboy to stay gold because life is short and it's better to do your best and stay pure then get in trouble and be

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