People commit suicide for many different reasons, some of them unknown.
The question is, who is responsible for their suicide if anyone besides the victim? In The Dead Poet's Society, Neil Perry commits suicide and there are two people who may be responsible for it. The pain or ideas that this one person put into Neil's head drove him to commit suicide, so they are ultimately responsible for his passing. Mr. Keating and Neil's father, Mr.
Perry, are the two men who might have influenced Neil to take his own life. I believe that Mr. Perry drove his son to suicide.Mr. Perry had Neil's life completely planned out for him. He did not let Neil make up his own mind on what he wanted to do with his future.
He would not even listen to what his son had to say. He completely ignored him, yet expected him to be the perfect son, neglecting to see that he was making Neil miserable. Mr. Perry did not take the time to talk to his son, to learn about him and to encourage him to follow his dream like any parent should do. Instead, Mr.
Perry demanded his son to follow the future that he had laid out for him, to put aside his own dreams and to pursue something he had no interest in. He would not discuss it, he only demanded it of his son.Neil was in pain, he had so many things he wanted to do for himself, but he was not allowed to do them, or even talk about them. He was passionate about acting and being involved with poetry and clubs. Neil had the lead part in his school's play.
When his father found out about Neil's acting debut, he damanded that he quit the play and to cease acting forever. Neil was extremely distraut by this. He once again had a dream he could not continue with. All of the pain that his father put him through and all of the heartbreak that he was forced to deal with overwhelmed him.
Neil went through with the play and did wonderfully. His father saw that he disobeyed his orders and immediately scolded him. Mr. Perry forced his son out of the school he loved and threatened to send Neil to military school.
Neil's heart had not had a chance to mend when his father dropped yet another bomb on him. It was the very evening of the play and the scolding that Neil decided to end his life.Mr. Perry showed no love for his son.
He was not concerned about how his son was feeling or what made him happy in life. A child needs their parent to show that they care or they will feel worthless and like a failure. Neil could never please his father no matter how hard he tried. He was never praised for accomplishing something that he liked to do, instead he was discouraged from ever doing something he loved again. Neil turned his pain on himself. The harsh restrictions and lack of love from his father drove him to suicide.
There was nothing else in Neil's life other than his father's actions that made him distraught. There is no other explaination for Neil's pain than his father's continued heartbreaking demands. If there is anyone to be held responsible for Neil Perry's suicide, it is his father, Mr. Perry.
