Examples Of Transcendentalism In Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society was an amazing movie. It went to show just how much a teacher can impact students’ lives, in this case completely turning around the lives of several young men and giving them the ability to truly appreciate art. In the beginning of the movie, the boys were all just going about their lives blindly with goals that were respectable, but without much spiritual or emotional value. By the end, they were still fulfilling those goals, but they had begun to truly take in the beauty of the world around them, discovered the art of poetry, and realized the way that those things could significantly better their lives. Based on that alone, this movie could be considered transcendental, but there were many events in between that would

oppose that statement. There were two major examples of anti-transcendentalism in this film, one being Neil Perry and the other being Richard Cameron. Neil was greatly changed by his teacher, Mr. Keating.

He came to realize his passion for poetry and acting, causing him to audition in a play, where he managed to receive a main part, but his father refused to let him be in it. When Neil ignored his father’s orders and remained in the play, it seemed like the situation may have become transcendental, but his father found out, took him out of school, and ultimately crushed his son’s dreams. Unable to express his true feelings, Neil commits suicide, making the situation anti-transcendental. Because he could not overcome his overbearing father, Neil could not live the way he wanted to live and could not bring himself to transcend. The other major example of anti-transcendentalism is Richard Cameron, the one who betrayed his friends, selling out Mr. Keating to keep him from getting in trouble and turning in the group. Instead of remaining strong like Charlie was able to, Richard bent, turning them all in and getting Mr. Keating fired. He represents the anti-transcendentalist idea that human nature is evil. There will always be a negative side of humanity and there will always be someone evil. In fact, according to anti-transcendentalists, there will always be part of everyone that houses evil, Richard just happened to be the one to show that part of

him in this movie. Both of these reasons make Dead Poets Society anti-transcendental. Luckily, after all of these negative situations, there is one scene at the very end that creates another transcendental moment. As Keating is exiting his classroom for the very last time, Todd–the one who was terrified to even speak in front of the class only weeks before–stood on his desk in the middle of class to salute his “captain.” His action was only the beginning, as over half the class eventually does the same, showing that they will try to transcend, no matter the situation or consequences. This final moment is what I believe makes the overall film transcendental. There were many moments where it seemed that all was lost, but the boys came through in the end, showing the power of passion and the true transcendentalism of the human race.