Haunting of Neil Perry

Neil Perry knew exactly what he wanted from life, but his father forbade him from it. Neil could have gone to great places and inspired many people if only his father would have seen his passion for acting, and accepted it. However, he didn't, and Neil could not live the plan that his father laid for his life. Neil then committed suicide, and his father became devastated. Mr. Perry blamed himself for his son's death and even told his wife that it was if he had pulled the trigger himself. Others agreed that Mr. Perry drove his son over the edge and made him feel like there was no way out. Neil Perry had died, but his ghost had lurked around to tend to some unfinished business.

Many say that Neil cannot stay off the stage, even after death, and that they had seen him hanging around the costume room, playing with the curtains and such. Performers feel that his passion for acting still fills the theater. It is said that sometimes at night you can hear Neil repeating the opening statement from the "Dead Poets Society". However, the theater was not the major point of Neil's unfinished business, which was his father.

Mr. Perry had gone from such a sturdy, respectable reputation to rock bottom in an instant after Neil's death. Mr. Perry even resorted to drinking. One night he had been so drunk that he stumbled into the theater screaming his son's name, believing he was on stage. Neil's ghost did not set out to punish his father, but to push his father to change the ways of conformity in Welton Academy. Mr. Perry often woke up to messages written on the wall such as "Carpe Diem." One day, Mr. Perry had gone to Mr. Keating for help. Mr. Perry told Mr. Keating that he would not be able to sleep until Neil's soul was resting peacefully. Mr. Keating and Mr. Perry had talked all day and all night until they came to a conclusion. Mr. Keating finally persuaded Mr. Perry that something had to change about the school system, for there would be more people that would end up like Neil.

The next step was to actually do something about it. Mr. Keating gathered all of the boys from the "Dead Poets Society" and told them the plan. The plan was to stage a sit in, a protest against the four pillars of Welton Academy (tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence). After just three days of non-stop protesting and Mr. Nolan begins to crack. He calls an assembly and officially