*Warning Spoiler Alerts for Dead Poets Society*

So with the suicide of Neil it poses the question of why? His parents clearly had planned out his life for him and it seems like he felt trapped. Acting allowed him to be free but being forced into the mold his parents made was too much. I think your parents shape who you are. Having such rigid boundaries I think can be detrimental to a child. Too much structure isn’t a good thing but too little structure is also bad. I think once a child is old enough to make their own decisions you can’t dictate their life. I think you need to have a conversation and try to understand their point of view rather than bark orders. From personal experience my parents have been divorced since I was a little kid so I got to experience two very different parenting styles.  I had one parent who didn’t listen or even try to understand my point of view (and doesn’t to this day) and my other parent took the time to have a conversation about things. Having a conversation about things and keeping the lines of communication open is very important in my opinion. It is very beneficial to have a parents point of view explained. If a kid doesn’t understand why they won’t feel inclined to do something. Neil was older and in the case of high school students I think they need guidance but I don’t think they need someone breathing down their neck. If someone is constantly watching you it can be kind of suffocating.