Martin 1

Rachel Martin
Literature Analysis
Mrs. Baker
November 30, 2015
Rebellion and Conformity
Society emphasizes the importance of being unique, but when ideas spring up that
challenge the status quo, any rebellion is smothered. In the fictional story Fahrenheit

451 by
Ray Bradbury, and the movie Dead Poets Society, we are introduced to characters that suffer
through this difficult paradox. Neil Perry and Guy Montag are two protagonists whose hearts are
called to something greater than what their peers see. Both are influenced by a stranger who has
a different view on the world, both changed from robots to free thinking men, and both lost their
lives but in different ways.

In Dead Poets Society, Neil was a student at Welton Academy, whose future was
practically set in stone. His father controlled everything he did, from his extracurriculars to his
future career. Then comes along Mr. John Keating. He is the new English professor at Welton,
and he challenges each one of his students to think for themselves, and encourages them to
march to the beat of their own drum. Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you
must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or
unpopular, even though the herd may go, that's baaaaad. Robert Frost said, Two roads diverged
in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference
(Dead). Keating sparked the hearts of his students, making them question the society they
lived in. Montag had a similar experience with Clarisse McClellan

in the book Fahrenheit 451.

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Everyday was the same monotonous routine; go to work, burn books, go home, repeat. Clarisse
was fresh and different. She opened Montags eyes to the world and made him look at things
with a new perspective. She knocked down the first domino, creating an avalanche of new ideas
that had never occurred to Montag before. Neither Neil nor Montag were forced to change their
opinions, they were simply shown that they had options.
In both stories, our protagonist begins in a state of mind that says, This is the way things
are. I cant change it, to one that declares, This is my life, Ill live it however I choose. Neil
is at first passive to his fathers wishes, but one day he decides to audition for a play because he
is inspired by Keatings words of wisdom. Neil lands a major role, but his father orders him to
drop out once he hears of this. For the first time in his life, Neil tells his father what he wants to
do and defies his fathers commands. He rebels against his oppressive father and breaks out of
the mold society told him he needed to fill. Similarly, Montag followed any order Beatty gave.
By his own admittance, Montag didnt think on his own, but let others decide what he should do.
He gradually made his own choices, such as reading the books and going to Faber for help, but
even the act of thinking was basically breaking societys standards. Montag went from never
questioning the system to plotting on how to bring it down in a relatively short period of time.
Both characters begin to realize how much more there is to learn in life. They understand why
many who are upset dont speak out about their despair, as they fear it will only add to their
ridicule. The system works only when everyone is the same. We must all be alike. Not
everyone

born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the
image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to
judge themselves against (58).

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Tragically, both of these mens lives were cut short at an early age, as both died but in
different senses of the word. Neil knew that if he followed with what society demanded of him,
he wouldnt be happy; he knew if he followed his heart, hed be shunned and shamed. Neil
knew if he listened to his heart, hed disappoint his father, but if he obeyed his father, hed
disappoint his heart. In a final act of rebellion Neil committed suicide because he knew no
matter what he chose his life was over. Society tried to place the blame on Keating saying it was
his fault because he tried to get the boys to think by themselves. However, it was also Keating
who told the boys that, Sucking all the marrow out of life does not mean choking on the
bone (Dead). Neil knew that rebellion was good at times, but one could not burn like a
sparkler; bright for a few moments, but inevitably running out of fuel in the end. There had to be
balance between following the world and following your heart. Neils spark died when he no
longer had anything to live for. Montag, on the other hand, became a phoenix. He burned his
past self when he destroyed his house and his books, but rose from the ashes and started a new
life with the men in the woods. He, too, burned brightly, but Montag had the help of others,
unlike Neil, and that made all the difference. Whereas Neil felt as if he had no one to lean on to
make it through his darkest time, Montag had friends who stoked his fire and kept it alive inside
of him.
Conformity kills a man on the inside; rebellion kills him from the outside. Neil Perry and
Guy Montag each learned how liberating being oneself can be, but also the price it costs to do so.
These characters inspire us to be true to our heart and follow our own paths in life, not paths
others create for us.

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Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1953. Print.
Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, and Ethan
Hawke.
Buena Vista Picture, 1989. DVD.