Director John Hughes does it again. In Sixteen Candles, he captures the essence of high school from the perspective of the nerds to the jocks. Depicted in the daily lives of the main characters, it also shows in 1984 that there is a division by popularity and rank. The challenges and pressures that students face are the same that students face in high schools today. This movie is about teenagers year after year, generation after generation. Just as author William Zinsser states in College Pressures, “They are too young to be prisoners of their parents' dreams and their classmates' fears” (385). Hughes is able to capture this through the eyes of high school students and the pressures they feel. High school sophomore Samantha Baker woke up on the morning of her 16th birthday, hoping for an overnight transformation. While on the phone with her best friend, she looks at herself in the mirror, praying that she has grown a few inches and has a pair of boobs. He doesn't need it much and his day continues just like any other. She has the added pressure of being a bridesmaid for her older sister Ginny's wedding the next day. After being tormented by her grandmother Baker, Samantha faces the ridicule and torment of her annoying little brother and takes the bus to school. During class in study hall, she answers a stupid quiz that another friend had given her. The quiz ends up in the hands of whoever likes it, Jake Ryan! Anxiety takes over. Jake Ryan, the rich, handsome, senior, stud, is living the dream, at his suburban high school. He is dating prom queen, Caroline Mulford. Together they are the power couple that everyone wants to be and is envious of. But Jack feels the pressure to continue... to make sure he has the perfect marriage. They all deal with different types of pressure. Economic pressure only affects a few of the film's characters. But everyone struggles with self-induced pressure and especially peer pressure. Hughes is able to capture the emotions and feelings of students and what they go through during their high school years. That's why this film stands the test of time. Everyone has been one of these characters during their adolescence. Whether you were Farmer Ted or Jake Ryan, Caroline or Samantha Baker, we all had to deal with the pressures of high school and John Hughes did a fantastic job illustrating all sides of high school students. Works Cited Zinsser, William. “University pressure”. The Norton player. 13th ed. Ed. Linda H. Peterson. New York: Norton, 2013. 380-388. Press