Or consider a cinematic example. Who is the “main character” in the 1989 classic Dead Poets Society? Robin Williams, right? The charismatic school teacher, John Keating, whose inspiration made his boys’ lives extraordinary. Well, Keating certainly was the catalyst, the game-changer, for his students. But (as the title of the film suggests), the plot can be seen as the students’ coming-of-age, finding their voice. The archetype of ascent. The boys who (inspired by Keating) reconvened the Dead Poets Society—their collective experience provides the narrative arc of the film, giving coherence to
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