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‘Dead Poets Society’ is a 1998 movie directed by Peter Weir. It is an American drama set in Welton Academy, an elite and conservative boarding school for boys located in Vermont. One of the questions that everyone had about the film was: who was responsible for the death of Neil Perry. Various factors contributed to Neil Perry’s death. Many people who watched Weir’s movie, ‘Dead Poets Society’, believed that his English Teacher, Mr. Keating, was the one responsible for Neil Perry’s death. On the other hand, countless members of the audience thought that the person responsible for Neil Perry’s death was Mr. Perry, Neil’s father. At the end of the movie, no one took responsibility for Neil’s death. Responsibility means being able to act independently and being able to accept the consequences of your actions. As such, the death of Neil Perry does not simply fall into one person’s hands.
Mr. Keating’s way of teaching was eccentric compared to the strict attitudes from the rest of the school. It was Mr. Keating’s job to educate and guide the boys on their journey of self-discovery, he was supposed to make them into the future men of their society. Mr. Keating’s teachings opened their eyes to a whole new world of opportunity, he constantly told them to seize the day and live life to the fullest. He understood that the boys needed a break from tradition. However, he was ignorant that his teachings went directly against that of a 1950’s businessman, who was spending money to send his son to one of the most prestigious schools in America. He forgot that his students may not be allowed to seize control of their destinies, because their parents refuse to give up their plans for the future prospects of their children. He taught them to be ‘free’ and ‘independent’ thinkers and gave them the freedom to express their emotions. He failed to understand that while he, a Welton graduate, had experienced a wide variety of subjects and topics, the boys did not have this understanding yet. He only taught the boys about the romantics, instead of allowing them to think and choose for themselves. For their naive and easily influential minds that are used to the oppression and the strict structure of the school, it was extremely careless on his part. Additionally, he told the boys to stand on his desk and see things from a different angle, to avoid conformity, however, his plan backfired as he was indirectly telling them to break the school rules by passing off his attitude to the boys. A society without rules would be overturned by chaos, similar to Neil’s case, he was encouraged to foolishly chase after his dream, against the wishes of his father and regardless of the consequences. This was shown when Neil came to Mr. Keating for advice on his dreams for acting. The warm glow from the lights and the close-ups of their faces emphasize their closeness and gave off a friendly atmosphere. The boys need to have freedom, but they needed to learn a balance and to evaluate their emotions, not to just embrace them unreasonably. Mr. Keating gave them a glimpse of what the future could be, but he did not put in the effort to slowly guide them down that path, instead, he allowed them to wander aimlessly and fall into traps. Because of Mr. Keating’s interference and encouragement to live on the edge, he lit a spark of hope within Neil, he discovered that acting and theatre was more than just a dream, and when this hope was crushed, Neil couldn’t bear living without it, thus causing him to commit suicide.
Neil’s life is strictly dictated by his authoritarian father, who tolerated no divergence from the career path that he had set out for his son. Mr. Perry is shown as one of the major causes of Neil’s death as he tries to control every aspect of his son’s life. Mr. Perry is a traditionalist, meaning he is resistant to change. His ideas were old-fashioned as he believed that it was in his right to control his Neil’s life. Neil’s last words: “I was good. I was really good”, was quietly whispered to his mother right after his father refused to give him a shot at his dream. Neil’s father wanted Neil to succeed no matter the cost or sacrifices that he has to make. In the movie, Neil’s father stated that he was not able to experience the extravagant opportunities of his son. Neil had the privilege to attend one of the top private boarding schools in America, Mr. Perry did not want his son to ‘waste’ this amazing chance on acting. He went out of his way to prevent Neil from doing anything that might interrupt Neil’s academics. An example of this is at the start of the movie when Mr. Perry forced Neil to quit the school annual as the assistant editor because he had “too many extracurricular activities”. When Neil tried to proclaim that it was unfair and that he would continue to keep his grades up, he was immediately shut down by the harsh words of his father. Mr. Perry told Neil that after he finished medical school, he will be on his own, and only then can he do whatever he wants, until then he had to listen to every word that his parents said. Mr. Perry realized that all the distractions surrounding Neil will cause him lose sight of the plans for him to become a doctor. He tried to control the relationships that Neil had. Near the end of the movie, Mr. Perry yelled at Mr. Keating to say away from his son. He could not accept someone else influencing his son’s life. Neil was humiliated and his dreams of becoming an actor were crushed. Neil forged a letter in his father’s name with no consideration of the consequences of his actions. This pushed Mr. Perry’s boundaries to the limit and he told Neil he was pulling him out from Welton and sending him to a military school: “You’re going to Harvard, and you’re going to be a doctor”. Although Neil’s father wanted to control his life, he did not listen to his son’s opinions nor did he spend time with him. He was oblivious to his feelings when making decisions. After Mr. Perry found Neil dead, the camera pans slowly with dim lighting, giving off a sad and depressing aura as Mr. Perry mourns over his son. Mr. Perry was unable to express his concealed emotional attachment towards Neil when he was alive, but deep down he undoubtedly cared about his son and only wanted what was best for him. When Mr. Perry hears the loud echo of the gunshot in the middle of the night, he wakes up immediately and frantically tries to search for Neil. Although his intentions were genuine, his lack of empathy towards Neil’s emotions consequently lead to his son’s untimely death.
Furthermore, along with Mr. Keating and his father, Neil holds responsibility for his suicide. He decided that death was the only option after he realized that he may be unable to fulfil his desire for acting. Neil wore Puck’s crown right before he committed suicide, this could be a representation of the same crown that Jesus Christ was forced to wear before his execution. Just like the crown of thorns, Neil’s crown symbolized his sacrifice and willingness to die for his dream of acting. Suicide was not the solution and never will be, by killing yourself you do not solve anything. Other people voiced their opinion in this debate, saying that Neil was forced into a corner with no choice, but I believe that it was the option of a coward. A coward too afraid to confront and talk to his father. Others believe that his actions indicate that he loves and respects his parents, that he could not hurt them without respecting their wishes. However, Neil failed to consider that his death may be the biggest blow to his mother and father, he couldn’t hear their anguished cries as they discovered his body, he couldn’t hear the sighs of his teachers or the anger from his classmates. He longed for freedom he couldn’t have, but by killing himself he cannot be considered truly free. He will forever be burdened by the guilt that it was his choice to kill himself. There were so many paths he could choose from, he could have severed all connection and ran away or he could have gone to military school and pursued his dream when he graduated. Death was not the only option. Clearly, it is Neil who made the childish decision to kill himself, so he must carry the blame for his death.
In the end, it was Neil who killed himself, but he was still underage and immature, meaning he cannot hold full responsibility for his death. His actions were influenced by the authority figures in his life. The people bearing the most responsibility being his father, Mr. Perry and his English teacher, Mr. Keating. No matter what, Neil should not have disobeyed his father. His father sending him to a military school would separate him from his friends, however, the main reason for withdrawing him from Welton was to teach him discipline and respect. The school, in firing Mr. Keating was completely unfair as they pressured Neil’s friends to lie and paint Mr. Keating as the sole perpetrator. Mr. Keating tried his best to give the boys the freedom they deserved, but he should not have gone against requests of the parents of his students. Still, the blame cannot be pointed at one person.
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