In the stories A Separate Peace and Dead Poets’ Society, the main characters influence others, create secret societies, and there are symbols for how the boys change during the school year. The characters influence others by having influential opinions about academics, friendships, and freedom. Individual characters create and improve secret societies that allow the boys to have a secure place to express themselves. There are symbols in each story for how the boys change during school year; the tree is a symbol for A Separate Peace and the cave is the symbol for the Dead Poets’ Society. These two stories have dynamic characters who influence others, begin societies, and the stories …show more content…
“The Dead Poets’ were dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life” (Dead Poets’ Society). The boys, inspired by Mr. Keating’s old annual, decide to gather at the old Indian cave and take turns reading from famous dead poets just as Keating and his friends did when Keating went to Welton Academy. The Dead Poets met and take turns reading famous poetry, sometimes even their own works. This practice soon turns into a society or circle of sorts, much like during the summer of 1942 at Devon Academy, when Phineas and Gene develop The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. The requirement for this group- jumping out from a long limb on a tree into the river beside it. This is important because jumping from the tree takes courage. The significance of both of these societies is to give the boys a place where they could express themselves without pressure of their stressful school …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, Gene says, “The tree was tremendous, an irate, steely black steeple beside the river” (14). The tree in A Separate Peace is a central symbol in the story. It represents Gene’s fall from innocence and the transformation from being a carefree boy to an adult, an important transformation for him to have. To Gene, this tree symbolizes fear and jealousy towards his best friend, Finny. Just as the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session meets at the tree, the Dead Poets assemble at the old Indian cave a mile away from Welton, in the middle of the night. The cave is a secure place for the boys, giving them a sense of satisfaction of rebellion and a secret that has been and will be kept safe from prying eyes. The cave signifies the nonconformity and freedom that the boys create in their strict lives at Welton. The tree and the cave symbolize the fall from innocence and nonconformity; both of these ideas are important in growing