Examples Of Transcendentalism In Dead Poets Society

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Ashley Arthur

Mrs. Gillum

English 11 A

25 March 2018

Transcendentalism in Dead Poets Society

Students in the movie, Dead Poets Society, are fortunately introduced to transcendental thinking through their new Poetry teacher, Mr. Keating. “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” (Keating) “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, ‘Most men lead lives of quiet desperation’. Don’t be resigned to that.” (Keating) Transcendentalists firmly value relying on themselves and seeking spiritual truth over blind conformity to authority, customs and traditions. Furthermore, they have unique spiritual beliefs that

are centered on the idea of the over soul. Everybody and everything in nature are reflections of the over soul. Neil Perry is one of the young students that Mr. Keating rouses inspiration with his unorthodox methods of teaching. Even though Neil’s transcendental thinking doesn’t dramatically change overall throughout the movie, he discovers how to live and die by it.
Neil Perry feels like he has no control over his own life. His father, Mr. Perry, is very strict on how Neil lives his life. He rigidly forces Neil to study to be a doctor, even though it is not what he wants. Consequently, Neil wants to be an actor in a play, but his father forbids it. “I just talked to my father. He’s making me quit the play at Henly Hall. Acting is everything to
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me.” (Neil Perry) In conclusion, Neil always wanted to think and live for himself, but begins to truly feel empowered to do so through Keating’s teaching of transcendental thinking.
In a sense, Neil Perry discerns he is capable of gaining control of his own life by helping Todd Anderson gain control of his. Neil is assigned a new roommate for the school year, Todd. Neil then takes it upon himself to become a sort of mentor figure to Todd. He perceives a lot of himself in Todd, when he was a first-year student. Also, Neil convinces Todd to reluctantly participate in the Dead Poets Society meetings. Neil plays a big part in Todd learning to overcome his fears and shyness and also becoming a freethinker. “Todd? The world’s first unmanned flying desk set. [Todd throws the desk set off the roof – papers fly everywhere and things crash and clatter to the ground] Oh my! Well, I wouldn’t worry. You’ll get another one next year.” (Neil Perry)
Ever since Mr.

Keating started teaching Poetry, Neil envisions things from a new perspective. “[Keating stands on his desk] Why do I stand up here? Anybody?” (Keating) “To feel taller!” (Charlie Dalton) “No! [Keating dings a bell with his foot] Thank you for playing, Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.” (Keating) When Mr. Keating tells his students to stand on his desk, Neil is the first one to do so. Neil is also the first one to call Mr. Keating “Captain, my Captain”. Additionally, he is the one that brings the Dead Poets Society back to life. He wants more than anything to “contribute his verse” by playing Puck in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Even though Keating unobstructs his wanting mind to transcendental thinking, Neil feels so strongly that it is the only way to truly live that he would do anything to accomplish

it.

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Neil’s sublime readings at the Dead Poets Society meetings permeates with both passion and meaning. His passage from Ulysses, “Come, my friends, it is not too late to seek a newer world… To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” (Neil Perry), is moving and motivational to the other members to always keep searching for what they truly want out of life. His leading passage from Walden, “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately… and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived” (Neil Perry), is meant to be the foundation for the Dead Poets Society. Moreover, his story of the woman putting together the jigsaw puzzle of herself and the madman at the window is symbolic and foreshadowing. The puzzle symbolizes Neil putting the pieces of his own life together to find himself. The madman at the window foreshadows Neil’s grim conclusion that comes later.
Neil discovers his overpowering passions for living through transcendental thinking and they end up killing him.

Neil defiles the school’s rules by sneaking out and holding meetings of the Dead Poets Society. He goes against his father by joyfully playing Puck in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. He deceitfully lies to Mr. Keating by telling him that his father finally agreed to let him act in the play. Yet, Neil becomes more alive than ever as he beamingly adds his verse to the world as Puck up on stage and feels like he has reached the peak of his life. After the lies and deceit to finally find himself in his own life, Mr. Perry decides to deport him to military school. Neil simply cannot accept this and feels his world heavily crash down upon him. He puts on his Puck costume and opens his window to “let the madman in” before he puts his father’s pistol to his head and woefully pulls the

trigger.
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Neil Perry always wanted to think and live for himself. Mr. Keating sparks the idea of freethinking in his mind and it erupts into an inferno of passion for life. Todd Anderson learns to overcome his timidity and reserve with the help of Neil. Neil learns to look at things in a different way through Keating’s teachings. The Dead Poets Society helps Neil undoubtedly bring out his own transcendental thinking to fruition. Neil learns what it is like to truly live through transcendental thinking and his immense passions for living free ultimately end up killing him when that freedom is taken away.

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Work cited
William, Robin, performer, Dead Poets Society, Touchstone Pictures, 1989
Leonard, Robert, performer, Dead Poets Society, Touchstone Pictures, 1989
Hansen, Gale, performer, Dead Poets Society, Touchstone Pictures, 1989