Dead Poets Society

Mr. Keating asks Neil to stay after class and asks how the talk with Mr. Perry went. Neil lies and says that his father was really angry, but he is going to let him do the play after all. Mr. Keating looks pleased, and Neil hurries away, knowing the truth is far from what he’s said.

Knox tells the group about his venture to Chris’s school. They chat excitedly about it as they get ready for the evening performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As they are getting ready to go, “they [pass] Chris, who [is] just walking in” (132). Knox pulls her aside and asks what she’s doing there. He warns her that they could both get in a lot of trouble if anyone sees her, which makes Chris angry since he barged into her own school earlier that day.

She is there to warn Knox about Chet, who is ready to kill Knox for what he did today. Chris did all she could to talk him down, but she tells Knox that this has to stop now. Knox argues that he can’t because he loves her. He also suspects that Chris has some feelings for him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to Welton to warn him about Chet. Chris is exasperated and says she has to leave so she won’t be late for the play. Knox asks if she’s going with Chet, and she isn’t. Knox asks if for one night they can spend time together at the play. If she despises him after tonight, he won’t bother her ever again. He raises his hand, pledging “Dead Poets Honor” (134). Chris sighs and agrees, following him as they walk to Henley Hall.

Neil lights up the stage with his performance as Puck. He is a brilliant actor, and his friends are all in the audience to support him. Charlie’s eye wanders to Ginny Danburry, who is playing Hermia, while Knox only has eyes for Chris and finds himself watching her more than he watches the play. To his delight, Chris seems to be falling for Knox, too.

Everything seems to be going well until an uninvited guest appears in the back of the auditorium. Mr. Perry stands, staring at Neil. Neil recollects himself and delivers his final speech as Puck directly to his father. The crowd roars with applause, but Mr. Perry’s angry silence is even more deafening. He drags Neil out of Henley Hall and away from his friends. As they pass Mr. Keating, Mr. Perry shouts at him to stay away from Neil. The Dead Poets stand helplessly by as Neil is taken home.

At the Perry house, Neil sits with his mother and father as Mr. Perry begins to lecture Neil about throwing away opportunities he himself never had. He informs Neil that he is going to withdraw him from Welton and send him off to military school. From there, he will go to Harvard, and he will go to medical school. Neil cries out, “That’s ten more years! Don’t you see, that’s a lifetime!” (142). Mr. Perry shoots him down, declaring his word is final. Neil looks to his mother for help, and though she looks as if she wants to speak, she remains silent and leaves the room with Mr. Perry.

The boys, along with Chris and Ginny, don’t return to Welton after the play. Instead, they go to the cave, where they all express their worry for Neil. They are surprised when Mr. Keating enters and joins them for a meeting. To get their minds off of the terrible night, they take turns reading, beginning with Mr. Keating. This moment is even more meaningful with Mr. Keating present, as the man they all admire so much reads in the cave with them. He turns to the group and asks who wants to go next. To everyone’s surprise, Todd volunteers, and he hands out a slip of paper to everyone, instructing them to read this phrase between verses. The poem is a beautiful dedication to the entire theme of the novel about pursuing your dreams and Finding Your Voice, and an homage to Neil. The group beams with pride for Todd, who has come so far from his first day at Welton.

While the group is basking in the glow of firelight in the cave, Neil, feeling like “a brittle empty shell that would soon be crushed by the weight of the falling snow” (147), sits alone in his dark bedroom.

Chapter 14 begins by switching between the beautiful image of the Dead Poets Society walking back to Welton in the snow and the heartbreaking image of Neil sneaking down the stairs at home. He goes into Mr. Perry’s office, where he finds a pistol in the desk drawer. Mr. and Mrs. Perry awaken to a sound and go downstairs to investigate. There, they find Neil’s body, the pistol still nearby. They rush to their son, who has just died by suicide.

The following morning, Todd is awakened by the grieving faces of Charlie, Knox, and Meeks. They give him the news of Neil’s death. Todd, overwhelmed with grief, vomits and then curses Mr. Perry for Neil’s death, saying it was his fault. The boys try to comfort Todd but eventually are forced to leave him alone to wrestle with his grief.

Mr. Keating, having just received the news himself, sits in his empty classroom. He goes over to Neil’s desk and finds “his own battered and worn poetry anthology […] his eyes focused on his own writing: ‘Dead Poets’” (152). He lets out a cry of anguish and sinks into the chair, overcome with emotion.

After the funeral service for Neil, the boys gather together in a storage room in the basement of Welton. They can’t find Cameron anywhere, which worries them. Finally, Cameron joins them and admits that he told Nolan everything about the Dead Poets Society. He tells the boys that Mr. Keating is being blamed for Neil’s death because the school needs someone besides them to take the fall. He cuts them even deeper, saying, “If it wasn’t for him, Neil would be cozied up in his room right now, studying his chemistry and dreaming of being called doctor” (156). Todd rages back, shouting that Cameron is wrong. Cameron tells them they shouldn’t have to ruin their lives over this. Charlie jumps on Cameron and punches him in the face. The boys leave Cameron alone in the basement, but his words echo back at them. Mr. Keating can’t be saved, but there’s still time to save themselves.

One by one, the Dead Poets are called into Nolan’s office. All of them return except for Charlie, who refused to comply and was subsequently expelled from Welton. Finally, Todd is called into the office, where he is shocked to see both of his parents sitting there. Before him, Nolan places a document outlining all of Mr. Keating’s actions throughout the semester, the teachings that led to thinking that defied the pillars of Welton, and ultimately led to Neil Perry’s death. This document will not only ensure that Mr. Keating is terminated from his position at Welton, but it will make sure that he will never teach again. Todd tells Mr. Nolan that Mr. Keating can’t be blamed for it and that teaching means everything to him, but Todd’s parents pressure him to sign. Todd notices that everyone, except for Charlie, has put their signature on the document. Reluctantly, he adds his own.

The next day, Nolan takes over as interim teacher for Mr. Keating. He asks what has been covered in class, and when he is told they skipped around in the curriculum some, Nolan decides to start over. He asks the students to read the introduction and is frustrated to learn that each book has had the introduction ripped out. He angrily sets down his own copy of the poetry book before Cameron and tells him to read.

Mr. Keating, meanwhile, has had to come in and silently start packing up his things. He finds the “irony of Nolan’s choosing the Pritchard essay just as he walks in the room just too incredible” (164). Mr. Keating is almost out the door with his belongings when Todd jumps to his feet. He tells Mr. Keating to wait, and says that they were all forced to sign the paper. None of them blame him for Neil’s death. Mr. Keating assures Todd that he believes him. Nolan barks at Todd to sit back down and threatens to expel him if he speaks out of turn again. He tells Keating to leave the room, now.

Mr. Keating turns to go when, behind him, he hears Todd say, “O Captain! My Captain!” (165). Mr. Keating looks back to see Todd standing on his desk, facing him. He ignores Nolan’s shouts to get down. Knox and Meeks stand on their own desks, until “[o]ne by one, and then in groups, others in the class [follow] their lead, standing on their desks in silent salute to Mr. Keating” (166). Eventually, Nolan gives up his efforts to control the room and simply stares at the boys. Mr. Keating, tears in his eyes, thanks the boys and leaves his students behind. He is no longer their teacher, but the spirit of bravery and freedom he gave them will live on within them.