Existentialism in Dead Poets Society: The Middle Ground between Romanticism and Realism - Coursework Example

Existentialism in “Dead Poets Society The Middle Ground between Romanticism and Realism Film Synopsis The film exploresthe contradicting concepts of romanticism and realism. Welton Academy is an all-boys preparatory school whose dogma is based on tradition, discipline, and excellence. At the start of every semester, parents leave their sons at the hands of the teachers at Welton, hoping that they will have successful futures. A new English teacher who is a Welton alumnus, John Keating, opens the eyes of his students and engages them to a world they never imagined before. The story has several key characters, and most of them have their own “existentialist moments” throughout the film. However, aside from the teacher John Keating, the character who goes through a major change, even at the film’s ending, is Todd Anderson. Todd is a newcomer at Welton and is shy and insecure, mainly because he is the brother of Welton’s former valedictorian. He lives under the shadow of his brother, and constantly fears that he might say worthless and hollow things. John Keating begins his lectures by pointing out to his students the value of seizing the day. He teaches them about the dangers of conformity, and about finding their own voices. He instills in them the wisdom of always trying to see things from a different perspective in order to gain further and deeper knowledge of things they already thought they know. Amid the oddities of these new ideas, the students learn to open their eyes to a whole new world that makes them face the harshness of realities. Existential Heroes As mentioned above, several of the film’s characters can be considered existential heroes. However, there is a difference between romanticism and realism. Furthermore, there is that grey area between these two opposing concepts that can be considered as existential wisdom. Although several characters display this existential wisdom, almost all of them lean more toward either romanticism or realism. In comparing the two however, romanticism leans more toward existentialism. Neil Perry, Knox Overstreet, and Charles Dalton are romanticists. Richard Cameron and the rest of the Welton staff, excluding John Keating, are realists. The boys’ parents are realists. Only Todd Anderson and John Keating fall in-between. They can be called anti-romantic romanticists. Both these romanticists and anti-romantic romanticists go through several existential moments in the film. They are willing to give their “life” for their beliefs, they take responsibility for their actions, they try to stand on their own two feet, and they act according to their inner decisions. Individual versus the Herd Neil, Knox, Charles, John, and Todd display the mentality of individualism. They do not go with the idea of the rest of the herd. Neil, despite his willingness to be the dutiful son and follow his parents’ wishes, he eventually finds a way to, even once, stand up for what he wants and what he believes in. He auditions for the lead role in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” stage play and, despite the warnings of his father, pursues this goal. He chooses to go after what he desires despite the “tradition” embedded in him by the school and his environment. After the play night, his father informs him that he will be pulled out from Welton and be transferred to Braighton Military School. Neil believes that this is a way to ultimately stop him from pursuing his dreams, so that night, he commits suicide. He chooses death over living without his dreams. He refuses to go with what the rest of the herd believes is appropriate for a man of his status. Knox falls in love with Chris, a girl who is engaged to the son of his parents’ friends. He pursues the girl, despite the warnings of the girl’s boyfriend that he will be killed if he ever goes near Chris again. In a normal set-up, he would not have gone after the girl who is engaged to his parents’ friends. It would have been deemed inappropriate by the society. Additionally, the warnings of the girl’s boyfriend should have at least diffused his desire to win the girl, but driven by his romantic beliefs, he goes after Chris without consideration of the possible dangers and humiliation he might go through in the future. Charles is seemingly like the “madman” among these characters. He literally goes against the school norms and policies, and even ridicules Mr. Nolan during his speech against the article on the “Dead Poets Society.” He receives a spanking as punishment, yet he does not disclose the “secrets” of the group. He risks his chances of remaining at Welton only to stand up for his beliefs. Mr. John Keating teaches the students about the dangers of conformity. He tells his class: 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. Break out! I brought them up here to illustrate the point of conformity. The difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others. Now those of you I see the look in your eyes like I would have walked differently…Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go ‘that’s bad.’ Robert Frost said, ‘Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’ He also emphasizes the necessity of making their lives extraordinary and according to what they truly desire. He tells them: They’re not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. His lessons are definitely out of the “normal and traditional” curriculum of the school, and he is eventually questioned about it. He tells Mr. Nolan that he believes that education “was to learn to think for yourself.” In the end, this belief causes him his teaching job, the thing that he truly desires. Todd, the character who has almost no identity at the start of the film, is the one who undergoes a major transformation. As mentioned earlier, he lives under the shadow of his brilliant brother, and he tries to keep to himself, for fear of saying something worth ridiculing. However, on a different perspective, one can feel the existentialist nature in him. When Neil confronts him about his role in the “Dead Poets Society,” Todd maintains his stand that he is not like Neil, and that Neil cannot do anything about it. He is not willing to change himself into something he is not comfortable with just to be like the rest of the members of the club who are becoming more daring and outspoken by the day. The change he undergoes toward the end of the film is not because he is conforming to the rest of the herd. It is because he feels those changes inside him. Responsibility and Authentic Actions Neil, Knox, Charles, John, and Todd display responsibility of their actions. They know full well that their actions are based on their inner decision, therefore authentic. Neil decides to talk to his father regarding the stage play, despite him knowing the consequences of this decision. Knox pursues the girl of his dreams despite the negative possibilities that could happen. Charles, the most daring one, decides to show his rebellion against the school tradition, and eventually gets expelled from Welton. John, despite Mr. Nolan’s directive to teach English according to the school’s curriculum, decides to do it his own way and eventually gets kicked out from teaching at Welton. Todd, at the end of the film, finds his “inner voice” and, even while knowing the possibility of school punishment, decides to be the first to show his opposition toward the school’s decision to expel Mr. John Keating. He stands on his desk and says “O Captain! My Captain!” when Mr. Keating is exiting the classroom. Romanticism versus Realism Richard Cameron, the boys’ parents, and the rest of the school staff are realists. They believe that tradition and discipline are the keys to success. In a way, they probably believe that success can bring genuine happiness. Even George McAllister tells John: “You take a big risk by encouraging them to be artists, John. When they realize they're not Rembrandts, Shakespeares or Mozarts, they’ll hate you for it…Show me the heart unfettered by foolish dreams, and I’ll show you a happy man.” Their mentality is that of the herd, going along with the norms of the society even in the event of giving up their hearts and souls. John says: “This is a battle, a war, and the casualties could be your hearts and souls.” From the start of the film, Richard holds the school banner with the word “tradition” that foreshadows his role in the story. Richard believes that what is appropriate is the tried and tested rules of the school, and decides to let Mr. Keating take the blame for Neil’s suicide, something that Keating is not really responsible for. The school takes Richard’s word and decides to expel Mr. Keating. It is easy to see that Neil’s suicide is not because of Mr. Keating, but because his parents refuses to give him the right to be happy with his own dreams. However, the school knows it will lose its reputation if they go with this idea, and does not even give it a thought. Since Neil’s death is linked to literature, and Mr. Keating teaches literature, the most common thing is to put the blame on the one who teaches literature. This is the herd’s way of thinking. Analytical Discourse Between these two extremes is the grey area where John Keating and Todd really belong. They exhibit caution, despite their romantic views. John says: “Sucking all the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone.” It means that even in the pursuit of one’s happiness, one must not exhibit recklessness and still take responsibility of his or her role in the society. “Don’t just jump off like lemmings! Take a look around!” Even Todd is portrayed as someone who is cautious with his actions, even probing Neil regarding his decision to join the stage play. He is concerned on what Neil’s father’s reaction would be, and despite him believing in Neil’s dreams, he steps back and think first before deciding. He appears to be the most responsible among the romanticist students. When he finally takes action, he is fully determined about it and even leads the whole class in standing up for what they believe in. Conclusion The film does not have a happy ending, and shows the limits of individuality in the midst of rules, regulations, and traditions. The movie provides a challenging thought regarding exploring inner dreams and beliefs despite what the society says. Most importantly, the movie shows the importance not only of accepting personal wants and beliefs, but also of others. It is only then that society can completely eliminate the limits of individuality and close the gap between romanticism and realism. Read More