Quote 1
Stay
gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.
As he lies dying in Chapter 9,
Johnny Cade speaks these words to Ponyboy. “Stay gold” is a reference
to the Robert Frost poem that Ponyboy recites to Johnny when the
two hide out in the Windrixville Church. One line in the poem reads,
“Nothing gold can stay,” meaning that all good things must come
to an end. By the end of the novel, the boys apply this idea to
youthful innocence, believing that they cannot remain forever unsullied
by the harsh realities of life. Here, Johnny urges Ponyboy to remain
gold, or innocent. Johnny now senses the uselessness of fighting;
he knows that Ponyboy is better than the average hoodlum, and he
wants Ponyboy to hold onto the golden qualities that set him apart
from his companions.
The quotation also recalls the period of time during which
the boys’ friendship blossoms and solidifies—the idyllic interlude
at the church. During this blissful time, the two boys read, talk,
and smoke, escaping the adult world of responsibility. Like the
gold of the poem, however, this idyll is tinged with sadness. Just
as the gold in the poem vanishes, the idyll must end, and the boys
must face the consequences of the murder.
