Mr. Keatings way of teaching was eccentric compared to the strict attitudes from the rest of the school. It was Mr. Keatings job to educate and guide the boys on their journey of self-discovery, he was supposed to make them into the future men of their society. Mr. Keatings teachings opened their eyes to a whole new world of opportunity, he constantly told them to seize the day and live life to the fullest. He understood that the boys needed a break from tradition. However, he was ignorant that his teachings went directly against that of a 950s businessman, who was spending money to send his son to one of the most prestigious schools in America. He forgot that his students may not be allowed to seize control of their destinies, because their parents refuse to give up their plans for the future prospects of their children. He taught them to be free and independent thinkers and gave them the freedom to express their emotions. He failed to understand that while he, a Welton graduate, had experienced a wide variety of subjects and topics, the boys did not have this understanding yet. He only taught the boys about the romantics, instead of allowing them to think and choose for themselves. For their naive and easily influential minds that are used to the oppression and the strict structure of the school, it was extremely careless on his part. Additionally, he told the boys to stand on his desk and see things from a different angle, to avoid conformity, however, his plan backfired as he was indirectly telling them to break the school rules by passing off his attitude to the boys. A society without rules would be overturned by chaos, similar to Neils case, he was encouraged to foolishly chase after his dream, against the wishes of his father and regardless of the consequences. This was shown when Neil came to Mr. Keating for advice on his dreams for acting. The warm glow from the lights and the close-ups of their faces emphasize their closeness and gave off a friendly atmosphere. The boys need to have freedom, but they needed to learn a balance and to evaluate their emotions, not to just embrace them unreasonably. Mr. Keating gave them a glimpse of what the future could be, but he did not put in the effort to slowly guide them down that path, instead, he allowed them to wander aimlessly and fall into traps. Because of Mr. Keatings interference and encouragement to live on the edge, he lit a spark of hope within Neil, he discovered that acting and theatre was more than just a dream, and when this hope was crushed, Neil couldnt bear living without it, thus causing him to commit suicide.
Neils life is strictly dictated by his authoritarian father, who tolerated no divergence from the career path that he had set out for his son. Mr. Perry is shown as one of the major causes of Neils
death as he tries to control every aspect of his sons life. Mr. Perry is a traditionalist, meaning he is resistant to change. His ideas were old-fashioned as he believed that it was in his right to control his Neils life. Neils last words: I was good. I was really good, was quietly whispered to his mother right after his father refused to give him a shot at his dream. Neils father wanted Neil to succeed no matter the cost or sacrifices that he has to make. In the movie, Neils father stated that he was not able to experience the extravagant opportunities of his son. Neil had the privilege to attend one of the top private boarding schools in America, Mr. Perry did not want his son to waste this amazing chance on acting. He went out of his way to prevent Neil from doing anything that might interrupt Neils academics. An example of this is at the start of the movie when Mr. Perry forced Neil to quit the school annual as the assistant editor because he had too many extracurricular activities. When Neil tried to proclaim that it was unfair and that he would continue to keep his grades up, he was immediately shut down by the harsh words of his father. Mr. Perry told Neil that after he finished medical school, he will be on his own, and only then can he do whatever he wants, until then he had to listen to every word that his parents said. Mr. Perry realized that all the distractions surrounding Neil will cause him lose sight of the plans for him to become a doctor. He tried to control the relationships that Neil had. Near the end of the movie, Mr. Perry yelled at Mr. Keating to say away from his son. He could not accept someone else influencing his sons life. Neil was humiliated and his dreams of becoming an actor were crushed. Neil forged a letter in his fathers name with no consideration of the consequences of his actions. This pushed Mr. Perrys boundaries to the limit and he told Neil he was pulling him out from Welton and sending him to a military school: Youre going to Harvard, and youre going to be a doctor. Although Neils father wanted to control his life, he did not listen to his sons opinions nor did he spend time with him. He was oblivious to his feelings when making decisions. After Mr. Perry found Neil dead, the camera pans slowly with dim lighting, giving off a sad and depressing aura as Mr. Perry mourns over his son. Mr. Perry was unable to express his concealed emotional attachment towards Neil when he was alive, but deep down he undoubtedly cared about his son and only wanted what was best for him. When Mr. Perry hears the loud echo of the gunshot in the middle of the night, he wakes up immediately and frantically tries to search for Neil. Although his intentions were genuine, his lack of empathy towards Neils emotions consequently lead to his sons untimely death.