On Golden Pond Analysis

“On Golden Pond” is the story of changing and evolving family dynamics, and it follows a family that spans three generations. Each of the four main characters in this film are encountering a different stage of life and the challenges and changes that accompany it, with the exception of Ethel and Norman, who are married and both in late adulthood. Chelsea, Billy, Ethel, and Norman all are facing unique challenges and changes in their physical and mental state reflecting their particular stage in life.
Chelsea, the daughter of Ethel and Norman, is at a very difficult stage in her life. She has divorced already and is back in the dating game, this time her partner is a dentist named Bill who has a 13 year old son, Billy. Billy stays with her parents while her and Bill travel around Europe, and elope in Brussels, consequently causing her boyfriend’s son to become her step son. Step parent/step children families are becoming increasingly commonplace now. Divorce and remarriage rates are higher now than ever in the past, and with that comes a rise in the blended family. The relationship between Billy and his step mother, Chelsea, seems quite amiable. Though she is an adult now, her father’s acceptance is something that Chelsea has always craved. After returning from Europe, much to her delight and dismay, she learns of how well Billy and her father got on while she was away, despite the initial

“On Golden Pond” clearly illustrated multiple examples of this in several different stages of life; adolescents, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. During these different times the desires and needs of the individual change, and the dynamic in which they interact with others like them and with those younger or older than them also change. Norman, Ethel, Billy, and Chelsea all positively affected each other in the end of this film, lifting each other up, and fulfilling some of the primitive needs they each