#i hate mr perry

[puckspoetry]

“Neil Perry was a fine student, one of Welton’s best” HE WASNT JUST A GODDAMN STUDENT!! THAT’S REALLY ALL THEY THINK OF NEIL?? THAT HES A FINE STUDENT??

NO WONDER HE WAS DEPRESSED! HE COULDN’T ESCAPE FROM HIS FATHER ANYWHERE! SCHOOL WAS JUST A REMINDER OF HIS FATHER!! KEATING WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW HIM AS A PERSON AND MR. PERRY TOOK THAT AWAY FROM HIM!!!

[tortured-poet-of-thursday]

breaking down thinking of Neil’s smile when he came out of the curtain, crown in hand, hoping his father was proud of him, and how fast it faded when seeing the stern expression on the man’s face.

[bee--28]

I feel like some people really overlook Todd's trauma and it bothers me a lot. I saw someone say forever ago that he was "too whiny" for them in the book and that REALLY bothered me...

Cause like, it's cannon that Todd's father outright - point blank - told him at a young age that he would only be as valuable as the chemicals in his body bottled up and soild raw unless he became something "worth while". Like, I'm sorry, I'd be too whiny too if my father said those words to me, excuse my baby boy for being severely traumatized!!

That's so crazy to say... Like the author gave us more depth to Todd's character and more weight to his arc and they thought that made him whiny! Huh??? Especially cause it makes it even more sad when you think about how heartbreaking it is that Todd was able to stand the societal pressures cause he's so used to them that he became desensitized to them at all young age while Neil wasn't because (personal headcannon/analysis, I swear to Jesus if someone tries me on this I'll explode) he wasn't exposed to such parental behaviors until he was in high school (to me, personally, based on previously stated info about Todd's family and what we can infer from the other Poets, Mr. Perry was a generally good father until the pressure was on (from society and the system) for Neil to amount to something (ie high school age cause that's when you tend to start thinking about careers) but this isn't about the Perry's, it's about Todd, back on track)

This poor boy spent his whole life in his brother's shadow. Todd's grades weren't initially good enough for Welton, meanwhile Jeffrey was one of Welton's best. The pressure for greatness was a constant for Todd. He was always being told he wasn't good enough and that he'd never be good enough. Todd was simply not as good academically as Jeffrey, he could never, no matter how hard he tried, apply himself enough to even be close to his older brother. And you know his father never let him forget that. (Infer what you may from that, it's mostly what I mean)

Bottom line, Todd deserves more attention, we talk a lot about Neil's trauma but never enough about Todd's, he likely had the worst family out of everyone else

[morfitties]

It’s so weird to think about what would have happened if Mr Perry wasn’t such a fucking dickhead. If he was a more distanced father like the others. Mr Perry started a domino’s effect that changed the lives of 8 peoples and probably some of the other students at Walton (Sticks, Spas, maybe even the Latin teacher).

What would have happened? Charlie wouldn’t have went to military school, Mr Keating would still be teaching at Walton, they would still have the meetings and go to university; would they keep in touch? Reminisce? Fight the long distances to stay family? Would any of them lead the lives they ACTUALLY wanted to live?

[moonlightbearer]

★ How not to get over a film:

I decided once and for all to make a playlist with some songs that speak to me DEAD POETS (A few are anderperry coded, I admit it HSHDSHHA it's part of the plot) ⋆⁺₊❄ ‧₊˚ ⋅

[midnighttangerine]

The actor who plays Neil Perry’s father guest starring in a show where Neil Perry’s actor plays a doctor.

I hate this show.

[inahallucination]

Controversial Dead Poets Opinion: Mr. Perry is trying his best; let's give him a break. Both Mr. and Mrs. Perry deeply care about Neil. They did handle the whole theater kid situation poorly, but still… Let's give credit to Kurtwood Smith for his performance. As he said in an interview, in the hallway scene, he tried to play it down and not act as if Mr. Perry was harassing Neil because Tom loves his son and genuinely believes he is acting in Neil's best interests. Thank you. Now you can lynch me if you wish.

The interwiew is on YouTube "MOVIE TRAILER Action Trailer Movie | DEAD POETS SOCIETY - Actor Interviews | Club der toten Dichter", I'm refering to the bit from 12:53 onwards.

mr perry is such an interesting character and reducing him to just a dimensionless horrible person not only does a disservice to him but also to neil's character and story line

kurtwood smith is an amazing actor and his performance was amazing

dont get me wrong i very much dislike him and i dont think how he treats neil is okay or excusable but i also do believe he thinks he's doing what he thinks is good for neil

actually a lot of parents will push their own ideas and dreams onto their kids in the hope that theyll live a better/happier life

anyway im not gonna go on a analyzing rant about him and his relationship to neil but yea i get ya

[puckspoetry]

ok so the only two scenes where we see Neil crying are in the comfort of Keating’s office and (a little bit) right before his death in the room with his father. Keating’s office is evidently the only place Neil felt safe as it’s where he went throughout the film to find comfort. So is it far fetched for me to say that the only places Neil found comfort were with Mr. Keating and in death?

[neilperryismine]

we definitely don’t talk about this moment enough

the look todd gives mr keating after neil fathers takes him away. todd just wanted to speak to neil and tell him how good he was, and he was dragged away. and you can’t tell me that todd didn’t think there was something wrong because he looks so concerned

and imagine what would’ve happened if neil’s father didn’t turn up…sigh

[average-joseph]

Thinking a lot about Mr. Perry.

For easy math let's say he was born in 1910. When he's just a little kid WWI starts. His father probably goes to war. He either has to deal with no father for those important years of childhood, or his father not coming back at all.

When he's about to start his life as a young adult 19 or 20, the great depression happens. Probably from a middle class family, his family is going to suffer greatly. If he's the oldest, he'd be the one to try to make money for them but there aren't any jobs so what can you do.

He's going to grow up in bad circumstances, try to make it, raise a family, and just as his son is born he has to go fight in WWII.

Not to mention Neil is the only son they have. Middle class families typically didn't have just one child so I'm imagining just how much pressure Neil was going to have on him from the start.

I think that Mr. Perry is the way he is because he's in a mindset for sheer survival. He couldn't imagine Neil having other ambitions when he considered Neil to be so lucky.

[dreaming-in-daylight]

this fanfic has me on a chokehold istg i cant stop crying over dead poets society but for the first time its out of happiness

[morfitties]

Something that breaks my heart every time I think about dead poets society is that Mr Perry ruined the lives of seven kids and an honest to god good teacher because he was so far up his own selfish ass

He was a shitty ass abuser- but if he had just let Neil talk without putting him down, would Neil have kept living instead of going for the gun?

Neil lost his life, the poets lost their best friend, Charlie got sent to military school, keating got fired and the group was never the same after that one night. All because of Mr Perry.

[yourfavvgal]

fuck it im sobbing from watching the whole of dead poets society with @lv3buzzz

kfkekekwkekjfjdj actually sobbing

JFJEKWOKDKFKDKEKRK FUCK YOU MR PERRY

[number-onekidqueen]

This trend is chemical in the way it sucks out my dopamine 😭

those “age accurate character” slideshows on tik tok need to stop because i’ve seen 2 neil perry ones and i’m now rocking back and forth in the fetal position

like you’re telling me this literal BABY is the one whose dad drove him to kill himself??? how am i supposed to cope???

[puckspoetry]

DPS: Neil’s “impulsivity”

TW: suicide

After Neil commits suicide, his actions are regarded as impulsive by many. His death is a shock to many, especially his friends and Mr. Keating. Throughout the film, Neil was seen to be a happy-go-lucky character with a charismatic nature however, it is established early on that he feels the squeeze of his father’s expectations.

Living your life is a theme that is prevalent throughout the course of the film and it isn’t portrayed better than it is in Neil. Neil’s kind personality leads him to befriending Todd, an obviously shy student with no friends. Neil’s life happiness seems to build up during the film and reaches a climax when he plays Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In the beginning of the film, Neil’s father tells him that he must quit the school annual and despite Neil’s protests, Mr. Perry shows no sympathy. Mr. Perry is an overlooked character through the body of the film, however, his words have a lasting impact on Neil. Neil’s demeanour changes dramatically when he is around his father and this is shown in every interaction they have.

At the climax of the film, Neil commits suicide and leaves no explanation as to why. Many, including Mr. Perry, believe that this was an act of impulsivity and Neil’s reaction was not proportionate to the circumstance. Neil was never given creative freedom with his life from his father which takes its toll on Neil quite evidently, so much so that in order to be a part of the play at Henley Hall, he forges a letter of permission and sneaks behind his father’s back. Neil’s struggle is overlooked until his suicide by not only the viewers, but the main characters (with the exception of Mr. Keating of course). Neil’s suicide is a shock to everyone, however, it was only the result of slow, dramatic build up that was dismissed as simple expectations.

Neil shows that familial and societal pressures are not to be overlooked and he does so by resorting to the extreme exit. Neil’s suicide was not simply because he wasn’t allowed to act. Neil’s heart and soul were being ripped from underneath him after everything else he had was stripped away throughout the course of the film. Mr. Perry forcing Neil to quit the annual was only the beginning of a plethora of problems. Neil quitting the annual was a nod towards the eventual end of his life

The annual and the play both support and contradict each other. When Neil is told he must quit the annual, he protests and is shut down. His father is not having any “defiance” from his son and Neil reluctantly complies. After Mr. Perry finds out about the play, he once again tells Neil that he is to quit the play immediately no matter the consequences. However, instead of doing as his father says, Neil goes behind his back and continues the play. Both the annual and the play are factors that demonstrate Neil’s growth from the dutiful son, to the young man who strives for life.

Neil is constantly shut down by his father and is made to feel small and insignificant throughout their interactions. Mr. Perry’s attitude towards Neil for the duration of the film shows that Neil’s suicide was not an act of teenage defiance or impulsivity, but rather the result of years of pent up oppression and lack of choice and freedom.

~

Neil Perry knew exactly what he was doing. Thank you for listening to my TEDTalk.

[neilperryismine]

adding to the comment that it wasn’t mr perrys fault for what happened to neil- not only was he completely responsible for pushing neil over the edge the night of the play, he actively stripped everything neil had away from him and from what we saw in the film, it started with his summer, then the school annual, and probably so much more that we never saw. who even knows how long this had been going on for? likely since neil was a child, he’d probably never known anything from his father than disappointment and the expectation that he couldn’t do anything he wanted. please tell me how you would cope with having every happiness taken from you? I know people who have parents like this and their parents only relented when they developed depression. and parents are responsible for their children’s safety, happiness, and health, especially when they are under the same roof and mr perry exploited neil for his own personal gain which clearly had something to do with his own sense of failure either at his younger self, his parents, or circumstances. none of this was neil’s fault, and how he dealt with this was not his fault. mr perry knew what he was doing and looked at neil who looked so unhappy and chose to continue stripping everything away. like in mr perry’s office when neil said “I’ve got to tell you how I feel” and he responded with “what” and went on about the play he knew he was messing with neil’s feelings, and HE KNEW when neil said “nothing” that neil was lying and that he had gone to far, but as be thought that neil would do what he said anyway he just left the room and as usual didn’t really care. neil’s last straw was having his friends, his home and safe place, stripped from him. tbh if i was in neil’s position i probably would’ve done the same thing. not to mention that no one blamed neil, and most of them blamed mr perry or the situation. I can’t stand that man at all, he deserves every bad thing that ever comes his way because how can you treat your own child like that. It is 1000% his fault, and only his fault. and just to be clear no other adults aside from keating knew about the situation until after the play so we can only blame them for how they responded + the whole institution for everything that happened.

basically I hate mr perry and idc that he might’ve loved neil and had the best intentions (in a very weird and twisted way) he never cared about him and he is entirely responsible. like cameron said, the poets are the victims- neil is a victim.