Neil Perry
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❝All right, all right, forget the fire. Let's go gentlemen.
I hereby reconvene the Dead Poets Society.❞
I believe the world is burning to the ground
❝For the first time in my whole life I know what I wanna do, and for the first time I'm gonna do it whether my father wants me to or not!❞
Arrives from: Vermont, 1959
Dress Style: Conservative modesty. Jeans, a decent polo or dress shirt, and comfortable shoes for the day to day.
Mannerism: Neil is friendly and good with small talk. He likes to meet people, even if he doesn't have many very close friends.
Daily Routine:
WARNING: references to and acknowledgement of suicide. Spoilers for Dead Poets Society
Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out
Neil Perry is the only son of Tom and his wife. His parents are affluent enough to afford the cost of his private boarding school education at Welton Academy, an all-boy's school in New England, but they do not come from wealth like many of the families who send their sons to Welton. They place tremendous pressure on Neil for him to make the most of this opportunity, especially his father, and to focus on becoming a doctor when he goes off to college--something which Neil has never wanted to do, though he follows the word of his father every time it's impressed on him.
Neil has a number of friends at Welton, particularly three boys in his year: Charlie Dalton, Knox Overstreet, and Steven Meeks. When Todd Anderson is transferred to Welton and made Neil's roommate, he becomes Todd's bridge from quiet, shy anonymity to friendship with the other boys. The boys become even closer after Neil discovers Mr. Keating in an old school yearbook, where he is listed as a founding member of the Dead Poets Society. When Neil and the other boys approach Mr. Keating about it, he tells them what it is, and Neil and the other boys take it upon themselves to rekindle the group with his peers.
Keating's teachings on independence, thoughtfulness, and engagement encourage Neil to pursue something he's actually passionate about: acting. Unfortunately, the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream that he auditions for and receives a part in is off campus. Neil forges a letter of permission from his father to give to the dean, and proceeds to go through all the rehearsals. His father eventually finds out when other parents in the community ask about Neil being in the play. He demands that Neil withdraw from the play, even though the show opens the next evening. Neil addresses the issue with Mr. Keating, who tells Neil to talk to his father. When they speak the next day, Neil lies to Mr. Keating and says his father will let him act.
The production is staged, but Neil's father arrives in the final act. After the show, he takes Neil back to the Perry's home, where he informs Neil that he will be immediately withdrawn from Welton and enrolled in Braden Military School, that he will graduate, go to Harvard, and become a doctor. That night, crushed by seemingly losing everything he loves--his friends, his dreams, and his freedom--Neil Perry takes his father's gun and shoots himself in the head in his father's office.
Let's see how far we've come
Neil is a smart boy, personable and friendly. He has a very small group of friends, though he's polite with almost everyone that he comes into contact with. He's respectful, thoughtful, and good-humored.
A lot of that is a cover. Charlie Dalton, who seems to have known Neil the closest and longest, seems well versed in reading Neil's moods and knowing how to work around Neil covering up his upsets with a practiced smile. When Neil's father tells him he can't be a part of the school annual, Charlie talks to him about it, encouraging him to rebel against his father; Neil calls out that hypocrisy, since Charlie--or any of the other boys for that matter--wouldn't stand up to their parents either. Todd Anderson also quickly becomes versed in Neil's unspoken mannerisms, as Neil becomes versed in Todd's more obvious anxieties and shyness, and drawing him out of his shell. The two boys form a very quick friendship, with Neil confiding his desires in Todd, and encouraging Todd to look at things more positively.
Academically, Neil is an excellent student. He's in the top of his class, attends summer school to accelerate toward his graduation, and participates in multiple extracurriculars on top of that. These extracurriculars--Welton Society Candidate, Chemistry Club, Mathematics Club, and Soccer, for Neil--are awarded by the dean at the beginning of the year and are based off the previous year's merits and class standing; Neil's academic and personal performances have awarded him a fairly high standing, though his father forces him to drop out of the school annual, the only extracurricular Neil seems to genuinely enjoy.
Neil desperately wants something for himself. Mr. Keating's lessons on autonomy and free thinking, on ceasing the day, inspire Neil to go out for acting. But they also set up the chain of events that hurts all the boys the most. Though Neil's decisions are his own, he still uses the carpe diem mindset to justify forging a letter, lying to the dean and his father, and to Mr. Keating and his friends. Though he finally strives for something he wants, Neil's fear of reprisal and reprimand make him secretive.
Ultimately, Neil is a sensitive boy. He's had his life planned out for him since he was very young, and it's never been anything that he wanted. Every attempt he's made to assert himself has been met with dismissal, or outright refusal: calling him too young, or too disrespectful, to understand the sacrifices that his parents or teachers have made to improve him--as if his want to be his own his person is a detriment. His charming, easy smile hides layers of anxiety and depression.
I believe it all is coming to an end
- Black slacks
- White briefs
- A pistol with five bullets
Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend
canon relationships
Todd Anderson, Charlie Dalton, Knox Overstreet, Steven Meeks, Mr. John Keating
city relationships
Adam Parrish, fellow boarding school boy.
Cassie, a good friend.
Goodnight Robicheaux, a mentor.
Gabriel Harkin, something more.
Guy Burgess, an influence.
Rosie Wilson, best friend.
Caleb Michaels, something more.
Jamie, Jules Vaughn, Viktor Hargreeves - friends.
