The Meaning of Life

 

Many people spend most of their lives trying to discover what to do with their valuable time which leads to the open-ended question: what is the meaning of life? The movie Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir takes place in 1959 in Vermont Boarding school Welton Academy. The story follows young boys who meet Mr. Keating, a young, passionate, and enthusiastic English teacher, who teaches them the values of thinking differently by finding their own voices while inspiring them to join the Dead Poets Society club. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” written by James Thurber is a short story set in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The story is based on Walter Mitty, an old man who fantasises in order to escape from reality to make his life more engaging. The movie Dead Poets Society and the short story “The Secret life of Walter Mitty”, both demonstrate different perspectives of life due to the obstacles being faced while finding a purpose. Todd and Neil from Dead Poets Society are encouraged by their English teacher to think freely to be able to discover themselves, whereas Walter Mitty retreats into his daydreams and imagines himself as a hero. In contrast, Todd and Neil are still youthful and are in search of a path unlike Walter Mitty who is trying to relive his past to escape his mundane life but continues to live freely through his dreams. Ultimately, both show the great significance of living life to the fullest while living under pressure, either by parents and society shown in Dead Poets Society or loved ones and society in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”.

To begin, each individual in both sources have different perspectives on the meaning of life because of their difference of age and morals, while being faced with different barriers they must overcome. Todd, the main character in Dead Poets Society is young, naïve, and shy. His fear of public speaking limits his ability of expression with also the pressure of his successful older brother weighing on him. The conflict between him and his mind telling him he is not good enough is discouraging, until Mr. Keating makes him do a “yawp” in front of the whole class. This “yawp” opens Todd up, leading up to the point where he has original poetry filled with passion seamlessly slip through his teeth. At this moment, Todd starts building up confidence and starts learning the importance of taking action in order to find his inner self that has been in hiding. Furthermore, Todd grasps Mr. Keating’s teachings and learns to contribute his own verse by jumping onto his desk and reciting “O Captain! My Captain!” (Weir) which is a reference to the poem they learned with Mr. Keating about Abraham Lincoln. Mr Keating wants to be called “Captain” in order to break the wall between teacher and father figure. The action of standing up shows that he is challenging traditional ideas and stereotypes in order to be free. He is saluting Mr. Keating to show that he understands his lessons, and that he has broken his shell and evolved into an independent young man. He learns to find his own voice and to stop letting the fear of getting expelled affect his opinion, opening his eyes to his true purpose. On the other hand, Walter Mitty tries to be a hero in his daydreams due to self regret. His fantasy world is out of the ordinary, absurd and filled with action and adventure. He lives under the pressure of society and his domineering wife but continues to make dull activities engaging and exciting. He also tries to open up to his wife about his feelings but gets rejected instantly: “’I was thinking’ said Walter Mitty. ‘Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?’ She looked at him. ‘I’m going to take your temperature when I get home’ she said” (Thurber). Walter’s attempt of expressing his emotions to his wife shows that he sees his fantasies as not simply foolish dreams, but a secret life where he can escape to when needed. His words to his wife show that he still finds it important to make every day feel like a new day by facing new challenges, fears, and experiencing unforgettable adventures even in his head. Even though he cannot do many things physically, he still shows the relevance of keeping his inner adventurous and wild self. Therefore, both sources demonstrate how the difference of ages affects one’s viewpoints on the meaning of life.

Different sets of tones and moods are also used to spread their messages to the audience in order to effectively reach out to those that have been in search for their own purpose. In Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating’s passion and personality shines through to inspire the audience to find their voices, making him come across as a father figure for many. He uses lots of poetry and literature to teach the values of expression and nonconformity. This effective usage of poetry inspires the audience to dig deeper into the meaning of life, and to take action in order to make one’s life exciting. When the Headmaster of Welton Academy talks about the four pillars of Welton to the students, they all stand up with synchronized voices: “’Gentlemen, what are the Four Pillars?’ ‘Tradition. Honor. Discipline. Excellence’” (Weir). This demonstrates the strict traditional system of rehearsing this belief to brainwash them into thinking the only way to success is to follow tradition and to work hard to get a good career. The boarding school already plans the student’s futures, giving them a limited guideline of how to live their lives rather than allowing the boys to choose their own path and to give them opportunities to discover themselves. In the “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, humor is used but because Walter’s character comes across as someone who is in desperate need of escaping reality, the mood comes across as sad and depressing. This tone and mood that the author uses makes it seem like the reader is making fun of him, as if he is pathetic, and just a regular old man who cannot do anything but simply dream. Additionally, the story is suspenseful and dramatic throughout the variety of fantasies to contrast his real life. The opening sentence, “’We’re going through!’ The commander’s voice was like thin ice breaking” (Thurber), tosses the reader into the middle of an action scene without any context to give the same immediate sense of reality to Walter’s fantasy life as is given to his real life. This usage of dialogue shows the complexity of Walter’s personality to show he feels free and alive in his dreams, and sometimes gets so involved he doesn’t know what is happening in his surroundings. Therefore, both sources share their messages by using different sets of moods and tones in order to effectively reach out to the reader and audience.

Lastly, both short story and movie teach valuable messages about the reasons of one’s existence and how to take action. Dead Poets Society teaches the importance of embracing your individualism and to make your lives extraordinary. Mr. Keating uses “carpe diem”, meaning seize the day, to inspire his students to look for opportunities and to make the most out of them. He teaches his students that young, timid men and women need to find their inner wild self to find the strength to be themselves. The dialogue between Neil and Mr. Keating also shows that young men need to connect with older men in order to find a mentor that will guide them through their life journey: “’Have you ever told your father what you told me? About your passion for acting? You ever show him that?’ ’I can’t.’ ‘Why not?’ ’I can’t talk to him this way’”(Weir). Neil feels more comfortable with Mr. Keating then his biological father, showing the importance of finding someone that will accept one’s decisions and opinions so that one may discover more about themselves. On the contrary, Walter Mitty’s message is about living life to the fullest before you feel regretful while also demonstrating the importance of not letting your age limit your capabilities. It’s better to try things then to not experience them at all, even if it may have a negative impact instead of regretting what it would be like. He continues to fantasize even when his wife does not support him. The symbolism of the last scene when Walter stands in front of a firing squad, represents him standing in front of the people that always harass him for dreaming: “He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then with the faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the undefeated, inscrutable to the last” (Thurber). He stands in front proud and undefeated. This shows the relevance of sticking to one’s beliefs and dreams even if many disagree to show others the power of uniqueness and imagination which may soon help the breakage of stereotypes of old men. Based on both sources, they show the importance of taking action and to embrace your dreams in order to live a full life.

To conclude, Todd, Neil, and Walter show their own meaning of life and how they persevered through the difficulties of living under pressure. From the evidence shown, the boys in Dead Poets Society learn that their purpose is to find their own voices, and to diverge from being ordinary while also taking every opportunity. Walter Mitty learns that the purpose of life is to make life interesting, daring, and captivating, while keeping one’s adventurous side as one ages. Although each character discussed have their own definition of the meaning of life, they all learn that in order to find their purpose, they must be dauntless, brave, and speak out so that one may decide their own path, giving them the strength of ignoring the negative influences of others who limit their dreams and potential.

 

Works Cited

Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. 1989. Film.

—. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The New Yorker 18 March 1939. Electronic.

 

Two things I did well: 

I was able to write a good opening with a strong hook and write a good thesis. I also used good transition words.

Two things I need to remember: 

To cut out deadwood to make my statements direct and to the point and making sure to explain in depth the quotes that I used in my essay.