Neil Perry is perhaps the boldest character the film has to offer. He represents the intricate mosaic of conflicting feelings and desires that the majority of society feels when faced with an authority figures demands. Neil dreams of becoming an actor however he feels restrained by his overbearing father from doing so. Although he fears his fathers perception of him, He finds the strength to go against his father with encouragement from his teacher, Mr. Keating, and his friends. Without the company of others defending him, he ultimately loses his confidence to contest his fathers wishes. Without a companion to validate an individuals argument, it is a natural, human instinct to assume the authority figure is right. He begins to doubt his dreams. Ultimately, he believes he lacks the strength to go against his father and quit acting altogether but dreads the future he will be forced to follow. This leads to his suicide, a moment showing the evil nature of both obedience and disobedience. His suicide represents his own personal catch-22, he does not want to disobey and disappoint his father, but he does not want to follow t
he path he has been written for him.
There are two sides to Neil. He transforms his personality when he is with his father or with his friends. In the beginning, shortly after a stroke of inspiration he burst into his room filled with joy and tells his roommate Todd, So, Im gonna act. Yes, yes! Im gonna be an actor! Ever since I can remember, Ive wanted to try this. I even tried to go to summer stock auditions last year, but, of course, my father wouldnt let me. For the first time in my whole life, I know what I wanna do, and for the first time, Im gonna do it whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe diem!. For a short period, Neil forgets his fear of his father and lets his dreams run wild. When he gets the part, he hides it and inevitably his father finds out. When Neil faced with his father, his greatest authority figure in the film, he does not stand up for himself, losing all confidence when isolated. In an experiment conducted by Solomon Asch, it was revealed that people tend to adapt to their surroundings. Even when knowing the majority is wrong, most side with the majority because they fear to be alone.