“Nothing Gold Can
Stay”
Symbolism and Theme in The Outsiders
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by
Robert Frost (p.77)
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Symbolism
the use of a person, place, thing, or event
that has it own meaning and stands for
something else
What symbols are present in the poem and
what do they stand for?
Symbolism
nature
gold
green
dawn
day
symbolism
nature = life, people
gold = youth, innocence, wonder
green = older, used to things
dawn = newness
day = ordinary
Theme
a general idea or insight about life from a
work of literature
examples - Be happy with yourself; every
human deserves dignity; no one has a
perfect life
what themes (related to The Outsiders) are
suggested in the poem?
theme
You can’t stay young and innocent forever.
Summary, Reflection,
Analysis
Symbolism and theme are...