The characters in “Dead Poets Society”

Task: Create a survey of the most important characters. Each group will write a short characterisation of their character.

• Group 1: John Keating
• Group 2: Todd Anderson
• Group 3: Neil Perry
• Group 4: Knox Overstreet
• Group 5: Charles “Nuwanda” Dalton
• Group 6: The staff - Dean Nolan, Mc Allister, Dr. Hager

1. John Keating

• John Keating is a romantic person, he loves his life, tries to live every day as if it could be his last one (p. 26/27: “Carpe Diem” Keating whispered loudly, “seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary.”).
• He is very individual and not a traditional person at all. He is against the traditional way to analyse the poems (p. 39: “Make a clean tear” Keating cautioned. “I want nothing left of it! Dr. Evans Pritchard, you are disgraceful.”).
• He tries to convince the boys of his attitudes and shows that he lives his attitudes, not caring about the possible consequences (p.46: “Can you boys keep a secret?” They nodded instantly. “The Dead Poets was a society dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life.”).
• Keating tries to transfer his individuality to his pupils (p. 113/114: “Gentlemen, analyzing dreadful booksyou haven’t read will be your final exam.”)
• He cares about his pupils (Neil and his acting on stage in A Midsummer Night’s Dream).
• He is very emotional.
• He trusts in and respects his pupils P. 166: (“Thank you boys”, he said “I thank you”).

2. Todd Anderson

• Shy guy, not self-confident (p. 11)
• His parents force him to go to Welton Academy.
• He shares a room with Neil Perry (p. 12).
• He is a loner.
• He doesn’t like the lessons and is overtaxed by the staff (p. 30).
• He has a famous and successful brother but he is totally different (p. 11).
• He doesn’t make his homework.
• He cannot write poems, others laugh about him (p. 40).
• Keating teaches him to be self-confident.
• He thinks about “Seize the day” and the Dead Poets Society, joins them later (p. 30).
• He signed Keatings cancellation (p. 161), but shows his alliance with Keating as he stands on the table and shouts “Captain, my Captain” when his teacher leaves school (p. 165).

3. Neil Perry

• Neil Perry is a 16 years-old student who studies at Welton Academy. He is a helpful boy with huge clusters of achievements. At the Academy Todd is his roommate and one of his friends. Neil cares about him and is concerned about Todd. He motivates the boy on his birthday.
• Neil wants to be an actor but his father does not allow it. At first he does what his father wants, but because of the Dead Poets Society he disobeyed him.
• Neil is the one who gets the book about the Dead Poets Society  from Mr Keating and he is the one who calls together the new Dead Poets Society.
• He takes part in a play although his father did not allow it. Mr Perry is angry with his son, wanted to take him from the school, away from his friends and all the things Neil loved in his life. Neil feels himself empty and useless, is very depressed and so he shoots himself with the gun of his father.

4. Knox Overstreet

• Knox, who is very romantic, meets Chris and falls in love with her, but Chris has a boyfriend (p. 36: Knox watched through the windows Chris and Chet got into the Buick and kissed long and hard. His heart was pounding with envy.).
• Knox knows that Chris is engaged with Chet. But nevertheless he writes to her poems and letters and at a party he kisses her. That shows that he listens to Mr Keating and follows his advice.
• There is not more to be said about the character of Knox Overstreet, because he behaves very inconspicuously throughout the book.
• As Mr Keating wants to leave the class, Todd stands up and on the table and calls out loud: “Captain, my Captain”. Knox follows his example.
• There is not more to be said about the character of Knox Overstreet, because he behaves very inconspicuously throughout the book.

5. Charles “Nuwanda” Dalton

• Charles has courage. He admitted before Nolan that he was member of the Dead Poets Society and consequently was severely beaten be the Dean to tell him the name of the other members. He is no traitor, does not mention one name (p. 108: “I’m supposed to turn everybody in, apologise to the school and everything will be forgiven,” Charlie said. … “What are you going to do?” Neil asked. … “Damn it, Neil, the name is Nuwanda,” Charlie said. … The boys looked at each other. Smiles of admiration broke out in the group.)
• He violates Keating’s privacy when he enters his room and reads a letter to a woman called Jessica out loud to the boys (p. 121).
• Finally he betrays Keating when he accuses him of Neil’s death, tells Nolan all about the Dead Poets Society to save himself and is due to this responsible for Keating being prosecuted from school (p. 153 ff).

6. The staff - Dean Nolan, Mc Allister, Dr. Hager

• Mc Allister wants to show Mr Keating the right way of teaching. Sometimes he hates what Mr Keating is doing. Mc Allister speaks to Mr Keating as if he thinks that his way is the right way and what he wants to achieve with his method. He teaches Latin and tries to survive at Welton College by acting out conformity.
• Gale Nolan is a man in his early sixties and the headmaster of Welton Academy. He rules the school in a very traditional and strict way. If his students or teachers would they would like to go a more modern way he would never accept it.
• Mr Hager is also a teacher at Welton Academy. He is very old and teaches in a very conservative and strict way. The subject he teaches is trigonometry.