Mr. Perry Character Analysis in Dead Poets Society

Neil Perry’s severe, demanding father, Mr. Perry, is an intensely practical man, whose highest priority is Neil’s success in school. Mr. Perry is skeptical of Neil’s extracurricular interests, since he thinks that Neil’s goal in life should be to become a doctor. When Neil begins to show interest in acting, Mr. Perry forbids his son from performing on any stage again—a prohibition that leads directly to Neil’s suicide. In spite of his intimidating behavior, Mr. Perry is shown to be a devoted father, who sincerely believes that he’s doing his son a favor by forcing him to concentrate on academics.

Mr. Perry Quotes in Dead Poets Society

The Dead Poets Society quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Perry or refer to Mr. Perry. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Life, Death, and “Carpe Diem” Theme Icon

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Hyperion edition of Dead Poets Society published in 2006.

His eyes raging, Mr. Perry hissed at his son. “I will not be disputed in public, do you understand me?”

Related Characters: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 16

Explanation and Analysis:

Mr. Perry Character Timeline in Dead Poets Society

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Perry appears in Dead Poets Society. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Mr. Perry , Neil’s father, has just entered Neil’s room. The boys greet Mr. Perry politely. Mr.... (full context)

Outside, where they’re alone, Mr. Perry angrily tells Neil never to contradict him in public again. Mr. Perry reminds Neil to... (full context)

...Neil is shocked to find his father, waiting for him. Without even greeting his son, Mr. Perry shouts, “Neil, you are going to quit this ridiculous play immediately.” He demands to know... (full context)

...to act, as long as he keeps his grades up. Neil, who hasn’t spoken to Mr. Perry at all, walks away from Mr. Keating, embarrassed by his lie. (full context)

Back in the dressing room, the theater director alerts Neil— Mr. Perry is in the theater, and he looks furious. In the lobby, Neil finds Mr. Perry... (full context)

Neil, his mother, and his father are gathered in their home. Mr. Perry tells Neil that he’s withdrawing Neil from Welton—from now on, Neil will go to Braden... (full context)

Back in the Perry house, Mr. Perry wakes up—he’s heard a loud noise. He runs into Neil’s room to find Neil, clutching... (full context)

...himself. Todd is so shaken he runs to the bathroom and vomits. Todd shouts that Mr. Perry killed Neil—Neil would never give up on life. Knox is doubtful, but Todd insists he’s... (full context)