Dead Poets Society: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

The novel begins with an image of conformity, formality, and tradition. The students of Welton Academy, we’re informed, are about to begin their school year. The banners they’re carrying hint at the importance of values and rules at Welton: by celebrating the four concepts listed here (“tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence), the students are submitting to Welton’s “code” of right and wrong—essentially, Welton’s definition of what a good human being is. The scene also has a religious tone, with Nolan playing the part of a priest presiding over his “congregation” of students. In a way, going to Welton is its own religion; a religion grounded in order, obedience, and academic rigor.

There’s a lot to notice here. First, the year is 1959—in other words, the end of the 50s (an era of American history often considered to have been overly conformist and “square”) and the beginning of the 60s (an era famous for its radicalism and energetic refusal of traditional values). So there’s an irony in the fact that, at the dawn of this new era in American history, Welton isn’t looking ahead to the future—in fact, it’s turning back to celebrate the past (its own centennial). Furthermore, the students’ candles are explicitly meant to symbolize knowledge being passed from elder to younger generations. But they also symbolize the students’ lack of freedom—as far as Welton is concerned, they’re just ignorant youths whose only job is passively accepting Welton’s values and ideas, like an unlit candle “accepting” flame.

We immediately notice Todd’s outsider status at Welton because he’s not wearing the Welton jacket or chanting along. He’s new to the school, meaning that he hasn’t been fully indoctrinated in Welton’s code of behavior and emphasis on conformity.

Welton offers its students a very clear bargain: students must study hard and obey all the rules, and in return, they’ll be offered admission into an impressive Ivy League school, followed by (presumably) a good job. Many of the Welton students seem perfectly willingly to take this deal—Knox and Charlie, in this case.

In this passage, we begin to see the limitations of Welton’s values. Duty, tradition, etc. are important, but only when practiced in moderation. Too much duty or tradition results in students who are overly passive and blindly obedient; it is important to learn to question authority, as well. The students at Welton seem either slavishly loyal to the four pillars—like Cameron, who immediately shouts out his answer—or deeply skeptical and even weary of them—like Neil, who answers monotonously.

John Keating is one of the key characters of the novel. Although he is average-looking, he’s distinguished from most of his colleagues at Welton by his youth—as we’ll see, most of the Welton teachers have been teaching there for decades. The fact that Neil’s father, Mr. Perry, immediately distrusts Keating suggests that Mr. Perry respects routine and distrusts newness of any kind. Mr. Perry’s distrust also foreshadows the novel’s closing action, in which Perry helps to get Keating fired.

Carmichael’s speech symbolizes the impotence and pointlessness of the Welton educational system. Welton prides itself on producing impressive, wise graduates—yet the only graduate of Welton we see here is dull and forgettable.

Most of the students of Welton seem to come from severe, cold families—they’re expected to be the best. Similarly, Todd, who’s new at Welton, lives in his older brother’s shadow, meaning that he’s expected to live up to his brother’s success. In general, then, the students of Welton are under a tremendous amount of pressure to succeed academically.

Life at Welton is cold and austere—from an early age, students are trained not to reveal their emotions, even if they’re sad and lonely.