High school graduation is more than just a ceremonial milestone in American life; it’s a ritual steeped in symbolism, tradition, and expectation. In popular culture, it functions as a narrative pivot point—the moment a character crosses the threshold from adolescence into adulthood. From the glittering stages of teen dramas to the heartfelt speeches in coming-of-age films, graduation is portrayed as both a celebration and a reckoning. It is the apex of youth and the prologue to independence. But what does this portrayal say about American adolescence? What ideals, fears, and values are projected onto this moment in pop culture?
This essay explores how popular media uses high school graduation as a cultural mirror, reflecting and shaping the collective understanding of what it means to come of age in the United States.
The Ceremonial Stage: Setting and Symbolism
In film and television, graduation scenes are almost always elaborate affairs—crowds of students in identical caps and gowns, proud parents clapping in the background, and valedictorians delivering poignant monologues. These elements aren’t just set dressing; they are symbolic. The uniformity of the gowns suggests conformity, while the speeches often emphasize individuality and future potential. This contrast underscores a central tension in American adolescence: the desire to belong versus the urge to stand out.
Take High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), where the graduation stage is also a literal performance stage. The characters sing about their futures, dreams, and fears, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. It’s not just about finishing school; it’s about making a statement, performing identity, and envisioning what comes next. Similar themes appear in Grease (1978), where the high school carnival acts as a graduation-like send-off, or in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), where the culmination of senior year is marked through defiance and spectacle rather than ceremony. These dramatizations capture the heightened emotions and stakes young people associate with graduation, shaped largely by the media they consume.
A Rite of Passage: The Hero’s Journey
Graduation in pop culture often aligns with the final act of the hero’s journey, a narrative structure popularized by Joseph Campbell. The protagonist leaves the “known world” of high school and steps into the unknown realm of adulthood. This structure is evident in films like Lady Bird (2017), where Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s graduation marks her emotional departure from home and her first steps toward self-definition. The ceremony is less important than what follows—her rebellion, realization, and eventual reconciliation with her identity.
Another example is Dead Poets Society (1989), where the looming end of school coincides with the students’ moral and intellectual awakening. Likewise, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) uses graduation to signify Charlie’s movement from trauma and self-isolation to connection and growth. In these stories, graduation is less about academic achievement and more about emotional transformation. The cap and gown are not just clothing; they are costumes worn by characters on the cusp of becoming something new. Pop culture frames this transformation as both thrilling and terrifying, echoing the dual emotions many teens feel as they face an uncertain future.
Reinforcing the Myth of the American Teenager
Pop culture’s portrayal of graduation also reinforces the myth of the American teenager as a singular, universally experienced identity. Films like American Pie (1999) or Booksmart (2019) present graduation as a deadline for resolving personal conflicts, securing romantic interests, or completing a bucket list of adolescent experiences. This framing suggests a homogenized version of adolescence—white, suburban, middle-class—which can be alienating for those whose experiences don’t align with that narrative.
The Spectacular Now (2013) and Love, Simon (2018) similarly use the run-up to graduation to frame self-discovery and identity formation within the narrow confines of typical American high school life. The graduation scene becomes a stand-in for a cultural ideal: that high school should be the “best years of your life,” filled with parties, heartbreaks, friendships, and growth. This ideal, while comforting, is exclusionary. It often ignores systemic inequities, cultural differences, and the lived realities of students who face poverty, discrimination, or family instability. In this way, graduation in pop culture can both uplift and erase.
A Platform for Rebellion and Resistance
Despite its conformity, the graduation stage in pop culture is also a platform for rebellion. It’s where characters often speak their truth, subvert expectations, or challenge authority. Think of 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), where Kat Stratford reads a poem that doubles as a critique of gender norms and emotional vulnerability. Or The Simpsons episode “Lisa’s Substitute,” where Lisa’s intellect and maturity clash with the superficiality of the ceremony, showing how graduation can be a moment of awakening rather than mere celebration.
In Freedom Writers (2007), students who were previously written off by the system use their graduation to defy stereotypes and claim their own narratives. Likewise, The Edge of Seventeen (2016) showcases a protagonist who rejects traditional coming-of-age scripts in favor of personal growth on her own terms. These acts of resistance are crucial in defining the adolescent voice. They show that while the ceremony may be scripted, the participants are not. Graduation becomes a moment to claim autonomy, to articulate identity, and to reject the scripts handed down by previous generations.
The Pressure Cooker of Expectation
Graduation is also depicted as a pressure cooker of societal expectations. In shows like Glee, the moment is weighed down by questions of success, failure, and self-worth. Characters are pushed to declare their futures with certainty—college, career, or artistic pursuit—as if these choices are final rather than formative.
This pressure reflects broader American cultural values: the belief in upward mobility, the valorization of higher education, and the fear of aimlessness. Pop culture often amplifies these values, presenting graduation as a sorting hat that determines one’s future trajectory. Films like The Graduate (1967) and Rushmore (1998) satirize this anxiety by portraying young protagonists caught between societal expectations and personal uncertainty. For teens watching these portrayals, the pressure can feel both real and relentless.
Graduation During Crisis: A New Cultural Narrative
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the traditional graduation experience, and pop culture responded. Documentaries, social media, and TV specials like Graduate Together (2020) showcased virtual ceremonies, drive-through graduations, and socially distanced celebrations. These adaptations highlighted resilience and community while challenging the idea that graduation must be a certain way to be meaningful.
This moment also forced a reconsideration of what graduation signifies. Without the pomp and circumstance, the emotional core of the rite of passage came into focus: connection, growth, and the transition from one life stage to another. It was a poignant reminder that the meaning of graduation isn’t fixed but evolving. Films like Selah and the Spades (2019) also prefigured this evolution, presenting a stylized yet stark look at the politics and anxieties simmering under the surface of elite high school graduations.
Conclusion: The Mirror and the Message
High school graduation in popular culture is more than a plot device; it’s a cultural artifact. It reflects society’s ideals, anxieties, and aspirations about youth, identity, and the future. Whether portrayed as a triumphant finale, a bittersweet goodbye, or a chaotic leap into the unknown, graduation serves as a lens through which we understand the American adolescent experience.
By examining these portrayals critically, we can uncover both the power and the limitations of the stories we tell about growing up. In doing so, we not only gain insight into our culture but also the opportunity to imagine more inclusive, honest, and varied narratives for the next generation of graduates.
