Nuwanda!

                               
         

Nuwanda!

         Throughout the brilliant film The Dead Poet's Society, there are several characters that deliver masterful performances, especially Robin Williams as Mr. Keatings and Ethan Hawke as Todd, whom helped to create a memorable movie with heart and depth.  Even though Mr. Keatings is the catalyst that causes a group of his students to found a new Dead Poet's Society, since he had been part of the initial one, the member that seemed to most fully embrace the society was Charlie Dalton.  This character may not initially seem as important as Todd, Neil, or Knox, yet he undergoes a great amount of character development and most defines what the society stands for--freedom from the established order.  Therefore, Charlie's character and actions provide the best examination for how one is able to separate himself from the ordered status quo and rules that would limit the creative freedoms, regardless of the consequences.
         Charlie is introduced as a secondary character to the two main student leads, Neil and Todd, yet he quickly becomes an important character who provides great foreshadowing early in the film.  This occurs when he asks, in regard to Neil's dad commanding Neil to quit the newsletter, "Why doesn't he let you do what you want?" (Dead Poet's Society). This early, even if innocent, questioning of authority establishes him as one who wants something beyond what the school provides or what he's previously had to adhere to.  Charlie desires attention and easily obtains it, such as with one of his most memorable outbursts, when he answers a phone during an assembly scene, stating nonchalantly, "Welton Academy, hello.  Yes he is, just a moment.  Mr. Nolan, It's for you.  It's God.  He says we should have girls at Welton" (Dead Poet's Society). This willingness to confront the collected authority and core ideal of the academy being an all-boy's school is one of the several moments that even though humorous provides a moment of rebellion to which perhaps none of the others ever provide.  Also, through this moment the viewer is continued with the characterization of Charlie as a jokester or the comic relief, mostly dry or stiff humor at best, of the film, which is mostly dramatic in tone.
         In order to temper the dramatic feel of the film, and establish what an impact the Dead Poet's Society has on the students, Charlie is the best representative.  His poem, "Got to Be More, Got to Do More," accompanied by saxophone and a cocksure attitude present his character as the one who is willing to disengage from the strict rules and ordered ways of the academy.  He best demonstrates one of Mr. Keating's lessons which has the boys walking around the courtyard in their own chosen ways.  Rather than walking in a silly or odd fashion like his peers, he "chooses not to walk," representing his comprehension of Keating's ideas, and a greater degree of freedom.  Charlie further separates from the status quo of the school and even the other members of the society, when he asserts his individual freedom--he renames himself, Nuwanda.  This new persona allows for him to exist apart from the "respectable" ways of the school, and engage in a possibly hedonistic framework, in seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, but most assuredly that of a romantic, one full of passion and emotion.  Even though the viewer might challenge that Nuwanda is not truly free as he is still a part of the school, and is simply exhibiting a limited or quasi-freedom, he has attacked most of the core principals of Welton: he brought girls into the atmosphere of the school which violates tradition, he lashes out at another student going against discipline, and he is willing to be expelled for his beliefs which is in opposition to excellence.  Through these actions, he most embraces the philosophies of one of the significant dead poets, Walt Whitman, who is mentioned prominently in the film for his "O Captain, My Captain" lines.  Whitman's poem, "Song of Myself" is fueled through Nuwanda as he most furtively presents the ability to live the opening line, "I celebrate myself" (Whitman).  Even after the society is discovered and is threatened with being disbanded and the group expelled, Nuwanda is steadfast in his dedication to his identity, when he quickly corrects Neil who had called him Charlie.  Even if the name is his only tie to remaining free within the limitations of the school's status quo, he maintains it regardless of the other's feelings.  It's this dedication to retaining the liberty he found, that leads to him attacking the group member, Richard, who betrayed the societies activities to the administration.  The other boys even try to restrain him, yet he is eventually able to lash out at Richard, willing to throw away his life at Welton and future opportunities to maintain his freedom.  Perhaps Nuwanda's dedication might also be formed from being the only one visibly punished by Mr. Nolan, the headmaster, with a paddle for the outburst about having girls at Welton.  He was told by Nolan that he could give the names of the members, yet he obviously did not betray the group that allowed him to find his freedom, and have a role of importance amongst his peers, evidenced by his ongoing advice to Meeks and Knox, two of the group members, as what to do in several situations, mainly regarding women.
         Ultimately, Charlie or Nuwanda is the epitome of the famous "Carpe diem," tagline of the film as he engages in challenging the established order of the academy and creating a unique sense of personal freedom even though it yielded consequences of expulsion.  After Charlie renamed himself Nuwanda, he never relented in his pursuit of seizing the day, even if his new sense of self was potentially detrimental in the end, it was still his choice--his declaration of freedom from the restraints placed upon him.  Nuwanda embraced Mr. Keating's teachings, created poetry, inspired the group, and became a romantic despite what it cost him.

Works Cited

The Dead Poet's Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard. Touchstone, 1989. DVD.
Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." Poetry Foundation. 2014. Web. 26 April 2014.