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 …showed first 75 words of 374 total…

…showed last 75 words of 374 total…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.