Theme Of Parental Control In Dead Poets Society

The Manipulations of Authority Banksy once said “A lot of parents will do anything for their kids except let them be themselves.” Parents who control and manipulate their children have been a hot topic that is displayed in the world of cinema. The more common films include Romeo and Juliet, The Breakfast Club and Dead Poets Society. Each of the films have contributed a verse to the well-known dilemma of parental control. The film, Dead Poets Society, by Peter Weir, harbors many deep messages, but more noticeably the message indicates that children are powerless against the influence of the adults. Taking place in a private prep school called Welton, the film explores the struggles of self-identity that the adolescents of the 50s face. One of the major themes in this film is the lack of power to fight back against the adults that rule with an iron fist. Neil Perry is the epitome of this theme as seen through his inability to seize the day, running away from his problems, and his need to act. Neil took a chance when he acted upon Mr. Keating’s lesson of Carpe Diem and tried out for A Mid-Summers Night Dream, but only to have his dreams crushed when his …show more content…
It is to no surprise why he is attached to the career of acting when he does it every day. Neil consults in Mr. Keating when he doesn’t know what to do about his father. Mr. Keating tells Neil “Then you 're acting for him, too. You 're playing the part of the dutiful son”. Neil doesn’t know how to balance his desires with what his father wants of him. Through acting, Neil has allowed him to leave his problems somewhere else and assume the role of a fictional character that has no problems at all. Ironically, Neil played the role of Puck, a character who does not care for the rules or what people have to think of him, which happens to be the polar opposite of who Neil