Comparing Dead Poets Society And Finding Forester

The book The Catcher In the Rye, and the movies Dead Poets Society and Finding Forester all demonstrate how teachers can fill the role of a father figure. The protagonists in general all have incomplete families, in other words they are all missing some part of their family. These families don’t lack love, they only lack the best way to express their love. In The Catcher in The Rye one Holden’s older brothers died, this then caused his mother to become very anxious and his father to become more distant. Dead Poets Society is different, Neil’s parents want the best life for him possible and they think they know what that is better than he does. Jamal’s mother in Finding Forrester is a very loving mother and wants the best for her kids. On the …show more content…
When the reader meets Holden, they learn that Holden was just kicked out of his fourth boarding school and has decided to leave before vacation starts because he does not see the point in sticking around since he has already been kicked out. Holden does not have a good relationship with his parents. After one of his older brothers died, Allie, his dad became distant and his mom became anxious and worried. Phoebe, his little sister, seems like the one person in Holden’s life that he trusts. The two teachers that influence Holden are old Mr. Spencer and young Mr. Antolini. Holden gravitates towards these two teachers because they replace people he has lost, whether it is physically or mentally. Physically his father is still around, but he doesn’t know how to express his love for Holden. To fill the hole left by his father Holden relies on Mr. Spencer, an old History teacher. Mr. Spencer tried to help Holden, and try to get him to stop being indifferent about his academics. Mr. Antolini is much younger and was Holden’s English teacher at one of his past schools. He replaces Holden’s brother that died. He does this because he is smart much like Holden’s brother, and he also is very fun and playful. In the end …show more content…
This movie is focused around the life of Neil Perry and his struggle to both live up to his father's standards and become his own person. When a new English teacher arrives Neil looks up to him and starts to think of all the things that he could do other than what his father expects him to. Neil’s new teacher, John Keating, is a non-traditional teacher. Mr. Keating believes in becoming your own person, and encourages his students to be themselves and follow their dreams. Neil soon discovers he wants to be in a play at the local public school, when his father finds out he gets very mad and tells him he needs to quit and focus on his future. “You are through with that play. Is that clear? Is that clear?...I made a great many sacrifices to get you here, Neil, and you will not let me down,” (Dead Poets Society). Neil’s father guilt trips Neil into doing what he wants Neil to do. Even though he is told to quit Neil continues with the play the next night. After the play his father picks him up, quite angry, and brings him home. When they get home Mr. Perry is very upset, “Oh, stop it. Don't be so dramatic. You make it sound like a prison term. You don't understand, Neil. You have opportunities that I never even dreamt of and I am not going to let you waste them,” (Dead Poets Society). Neil is very upset that his parents do not support him and his dreams, instead they try to guilt trip