Dangers Of Non-Conformity in The Dead Poets Society

 
   In The Dead Poets Society, conformity is everywhere. Starting with the all boys prep school, called Welton. The teachers are all old white men, that are exactly the same except that their names are different, that only teach by the textbook. There is no innovation in how they teach and there probably never will be. The boys at Welton are under so much pressure, by their teachers and parents to conform. The teachers and parents want the children to all attend Ivy League schools for college to become doctors, lawyers, or bankers. The boys at Welton are discouraged if they attempt to think for themselves or live their dream, until a new English teacher is brought into the mix.
     The new English teacher at Welton, Mr. Keating, is different from the norm at Welton. He is younger and has a new way of teaching the boys and he believes in helping them achieve their goals. Mr. Keating urges the boys to be non-conformists, and think for themselves. "Carpe Diem" he tells them, seize the day. The students in his class heed this information and reconvene "The Dead Poets Society" club. They all have their own goal that they become inspired to achieve because of the Mr. Keating and the other members of the club. For Neal Perry, that dream is acting. He went against his father's wishes, but he did not care. He was good and he loved it. Ultimately his father, pressured Neal to do what he wanted, which was to be a doctor. Neal could not take it any more so in his final act of non-conformity and freeing himself, he committed suicide. The blame was put on Mr. Keating for encouraging him to act. The "Dead Poets Society" boys were also punished for having the club. The dangers of non-conformity are present because the school and its administration were so against transcendentalism and in the end Mr. Keating was fired for teaching and inspiring the boys to be non-conformists.