Dead Poets Society Theme

One of the main themes of The Dead Poets Society is Individuality vs. Conformity. Students at Welton Academy are encouraged to be conformists. The influential leaders in the school all promote mindless following of tradition without any individual thought process. Mr. Keating, however, encouraged the students for the first time ever to think independently. Throughout the film, this theme of individuality is evident as Mr. Keating repeatedly pushes the students to look deep within them and discover their own inner voice. The different characters in the film throughout the story are all faced with the same pressing choice of whether to conform or rebel. Mr. Keating rebels against the authority of Mr. Nolan. Mr. Nolan presses Mr. Keating to conform to the traditional ideologies present within the school, but Mr. Keating goes against the pressure put upon him to conform and stays true to his own personal beliefs and practices. Likewise, the students learned from Mr. Keating’s example the importance of being true to one’s self. Through the process that they undergo, they truly discover themselves and the importance of their own individuality. I feel that these are the most prominent themes within the film. Through the process of figuring out their stance on this conflict, the students in Mr. Keating’s poetry class at Welton Academy were able realize their full potential and passions in life.