One of the major themes/ideas explored in the Dead Poets Society is that of freedom versus conformity. The theme of conformity is introduced in the very opening scenes of the film. Close-ups of the boys chanting in unison, all identically clad in their starched uniforms at a ceremony at Welton Academy, we see that they are conforming to the authority of the school. It is the new teacher Mr Keating who, through his unorthodox …
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…his father's wishes by secretly starring in the school play. Neil's challenging of his father's authority had devastating consequences, as after a particularly vehement confrontation with him, finally Neil came to believe that the only way to obtain freedom was to take his own life. This final act of non-conformity was not something Mr. Keating would have advocated, but was Neil's ultimate and desperate defiance towards his father, and a tragic expression of his independence.