- "For the first time in my whole life, I know what I want to do! And for the first time, I'm gonna do it! Whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe Diem!"
— Neil Perry to Todd Anderson
Neil Perry is the only son of Tom Perry and Mrs. Perry and the deuteragonist of Touchstone Pictures' 1989 film Dead Poets Society.
Biography[]
Neil participated in several extracurricular activities at Welton. Unfortunately, he was forced to drop the School Annual by his father, Tom Perry. After Headmaster Nolan spoke with him about his son's extracurricular activities Mr. Perry decided that Neil needed to focus his attention on his future career in medicine rather than his numerous extracurriculars. Mr. Perry then tells Neil that he should obey his orders and focus on studying for medical school. Though his father does add that after finishing medical school Neil can do as he pleases. This is of no comfort to Neil; he does not want to go through another decade of school when his dream is to act.
Upon the arrival of Mr. Keating's unorthodox teaching methods, Neil slowly begins to rebel against conformity. He, along with his classmates, follow Mr. Keating's teaching by ripping out the pages of J. Evans Pritchard's "ridiculous" essay. Thus truly starting the beginning of their understanding of real poetry.
The discovery of Mr. Keating's Senior Annual eventually leads Neil to be responsible for reinstating the Dead Poets Society. The boys find Mr. Keating in the schoolyard and ask him what the Dead Poets Society was. Mr. Keating obliges and tells them what it truly was; leading Neil to eagerly want to create his own Dead Poets Society. Charlie Dalton is the first to join the fray, happy to join in with Neil. Richard Cameron agrees as well, even though he had complained moments prior, he agrees to join without much hesitation. Pitts seemed unsure; his grades are not faring well and he doesn't think this will change that for the better. Meeks "will try anything once" and agrees to join the DPS. Knox is also unsure but is swayed to join upon hearing Charlie say that it will help him get Chris. It seems like Todd has been forgotten about by this point but Neil asks him again as they settle in during class. Todd is reluctant. He does not want to speak in front of the others, much less read out his own personal writings. But as that is an important part of the group, Todd feels he will not be welcomed since he does not want to speak. Neil is able to convince Todd to join by telling him he will just take minutes and not speak(which Todd is never actually seen doing in the film).
Neil finds out that Henely Hall is holding auditions for the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He is beyond thrilled and rushes back to tell Todd that he has finally found what he wants to do. Upon telling Todd there is a moments argument between the pair as Todd is worried how Neil’s father will take it and Neil is eager to simply enjoy the moment. The argument is over quickly and the pair end up running around their room laughing.
Unfortunately, their happiness does not last long. Neil forges a letter in his fathers name in order to participate in the play but his father finds out the night before the play. Neil returns to his room to find his father. His father demands that he quit the play and focus only on his school work. Neil eventually gives in and agrees to do as his father says. But in the end he decides to act in the play regardless of his father’s demand. Neil had spoken to Mr. Keating after his father left and was given the advice: “show him who you are...prove it to him by your conviction and your passion.” Neil believes himself to be trapped even as Mr. Keating tells him he is not. However, he trusts his teachers word enough to make an attempt to show his father how he truly feels.
During the play, Neil seems to become himself again. He is thriving as he performs in front of the audience, and his friends. Yet, it all begins to fall apart as Mr. Perry appears in the back of the theatre. His disapproval is clear and Neil recognizes it immediately; the smile falling from his face as he does so. The play finishes and the audience erupts into cheers, claps, and yawps. Neil takes a solo bow and is momentarily free. The moment ends sooner than Neil would like as his father asks to see him. Mr. Perry ushers Neil out of the building as Charlie, Todd, and Mr. Keating all make attempts to speak with him. Neil is unable to speak with them; his father tells Keating to stay away from Neil. Neil is driven away as the rest of the boys and Mr. Keating watch as the car retreats.
Upon Mr. Perry and Neil’s arrival at home, Neil’s mother waits at the window of the study, smoking and visibly nervous. Once they are all together Neil is told that he will be withdrawn from Welton and enrolled into military school. That afterwards he will go to Harvard and become a doctor. Neil is distraught and upset by this. He tries to take Mr. Keatings advice and tells his father what he truly thinks and feels. But after hearing his father he becomes dejected and simply says, “nothing” after his father demands he tell him how he feels. Mr. Perry is annoyed by Neil’s answer and says that they should all head to bed. After Mr. Perry leaves Mrs. Perry pauses on her way out and kneels behind Neil. “I was good. I was really good,” Neil tells his mother only for her to reply, “go on, get some sleep.”
That night Neil kills himself in his father's study with his father's gun. His death ripples through the people he knew. The Dead Poets find out and are devastated by this loss. The school deems Mr. Keating as the responsible party and they force the Dead Poets Society to come forward and sign a letter placing blame on him. The boys all refuse amongst themselves but Cameron has already snitched and given the school all they need. In the end, Charlie is the only one who does not sign the letter. He is expelled and the Dead Poets Society ceases.
Friendships/Relationships[]
Mr. Perry[]
Neil's relationship with his father is strained and fractured. His father does not seem to be able to see Neil as his own person but rather a reflection of himself. His belief that he wants Neil to live a life he was not able to have himself is constantly hindering Neil’s desires and wishes, never allowing the boy to be who he truly is. Mr. Perry feels he can decide Neil’s entire life and that it is his right to decide Neil’s entire life.
Even after Neil commits suicide, Mr. Perry still does not reconsider his actions. He (alongside Richard Cameron) believe that it was Mr. John Keating's unconventional teaching methods and actions that encouraged Neil to pursue a career in acting which lead him to his untimely demise.
Mrs. Perry[]
Though Mrs. Perry seemed to have more affection for Neil, she did not go against her husbands methods. She offered little comfort before sending Neil to bed and broke down in sobs as she laid in bed later that night. It is clear that she loved Neil even if she failed him.
Todd Anderson[]
Todd quickly becomes Neil’s friend after the pair find out they are to be roommates. Neil encourages Todd to be open about himself and his passions. He strived to make Todd feel included and this applies to the Dead Poets Society, where Neil found a way to get him to participate even though he didn't have the courage to at first.
The two became even closer as time goes on. Todd helped Neil Perry rehearse his lines for Midsummer Night's Dream by the dock and Neil cheered Todd up after he finds him on his birthday.
At the end of the film, Todd was the most affected by Neil’s death, taking it harder than the other boys did.
Charlie Dalton[]
Neil and Charlie are assumed to be childhood friends. The implication of their long-lasting friendship came from Charlie being the only one who seemed to know how Mr. Perry treated his son. When Neil got the role of Puck and arrived back at the dorms to announce it, he addressed Charlie specifically which might indicate how deep their friendship is.
Mr. Keating[]
He most notably tries to inspire Neil Perry to follow his passion for theater. Unbeknownst to Mr. Keating, Neil is acting against the specific direction of his father. Yet he continues to support Neil in his pursuit of happiness. However, Keating inspiring Neil to follow his passion for theater came at a price.
When Mr. Perry forced Neil to quit the play, he sought advice from Keating as he looks up to and respects the man Even though Neil feels lost and trapped he still decides to trust Keatings advice. Hey liam solberg.
Trivia[]
- Neil states that his family is not as wealthy as many other students, specifically Charlie's.
- Neil attempted to go to summer stock auditions in 1958, but his father didn't allow him to go.
- The summer before the movie is set, Neil attended a summer school for chemistry.
- In the original script, it is mentioned in the opening ceremony that Neil has significantly more achievement pins on his jacket than anyone else. In the movie itself, he has roughly the same amount of pins as Cameron, but more than Charlie, Knox and Meeks.[1]
- In a deleted scene, it is shown that Neil is assigned the extracurriculars of Welton Society Candidates, Chemistry Club, Mathematics Club, and Soccer. He would have been assigned School Annual had his father not taken him out.[2]