Dead Poets Society's Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism is apparent in many forms of literature dating back to the 1800s. The film Dead Poets Society connects the idea of transcendentalism to the modern age. The idea of transcendentalism focuses on freethinking and nonconformity, With multiple examples being found in the film. The film also shares a strong connection with classic literature from the past two centuries. The movie Dead Poets Society is transcendental because of its Thoreauian setting, the teachings of Mr. Keating, and the actions and reactions of the four main characters.

Henry David Thoreau's classic story "Walden" is a prime example of a connection between the movie Dead Poets Society and classic literature. Thoreau states in the story that he "went to the woods to live deliberately." In the film, They take multiple different journeys to the woods for different reasons. Even the club they take part in, the dead poets Society, takes place in a cave in the woods. It is a place where they can think freely and not worry about the judgments of their teachers at school. Though this is not the only example of transcendentalism in the movie.

John Keating as a character is a key factor in the transcendentalism in this film. Famous historical writers, such as John Locke and Ralph Waldo Emerson, preach the ideas of nonconformity and freethinking. Mr. Keating transfers these thoughts into a modern perspective, teaching the boys to think for themselves. A key example of this is when he showed the boys not to march as a unit, but to walk independently. Mr. Keating's teachings bring out the transcendentalism in the main characters themselves.

Neil, Todd, Knox, and Charlie all show their own examples of transcendentalism throughout the film. Neil rebels against his father's wishes by taking part in the play that