Character Analysis: Dead Poets Society

1) During my experience of watching the movie, I noticed that all of the boys in the Society were changed over the course of the story. Still, I believe that Todd was the boy that was changed the most by the events in the film. In the beginning of the movie, he was extremely shy and afraid to show himself to others. Throughout the the events in the story, however, he became a completely new young man with the help of Mr. Keating and his peers. When Mr. Keating had him share his opinions in front of the class through poetry, the students finally understand Todd's mindset on society. Nevertheless, when Mr. Keating went to retrieve his belongings at the end of the movie, Todd was the first student to jump out of his desk and express his misgivings towards Mr. Keating's departure. This took much courage, as he was defying the headmaster by embracing his belief that Mr. Keating should not have been fired. This is drastically different behavior than what he showed in the beginning, which showcases the change in his outlook on life.
2) Charlie is the young man that I think is the most like himself in both the beginning and the end. He is very adventurous at the start of the movie, just like at the end. The only aspect that changed is that he knew what (or who) he should rebel against instead of simply rebelling everything. He was one of the main supporters of the study group, which was the eventual precursor to the Dead Poets Society.
3) I believe that Mr. Keating is a static character because he was equally as determined to reject society throughout the movie. Nevertheless, I feel that he was a bit more creative in the end on how he would help other young men to reject the status quo. I think that the boys inspired them just as much as he inspired the boys in that Mr. Keating was joyous that the students were able to find what they truly wanted out of life.
4) Todd Anderson is very timid and is not accustomed to the idea of rebellion. It is assumed that he has always lived the way society destined him too, as he was also expected to live up to his older brother's fame. He overcame his shyness because of Mr. Keating's pressure to show the class his true self. Neil Perry was very lively and outgoing, yet he refused to accept the fact that he wanted something else from his life rather than the plan that his parents had laid out for him. When Mr. Keating arrived, he showed Neil how to explore his new interests and how to show his parents what he wanted. Knox Overstreet was somewhat buoyant and cheerful but he faced a major conflict when he wanted to court a girl who was already taken. Mr. Keating influenced Knox enough that he was able to overcome his complacency and learn to "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day." Charlie Dalton was by far the most rebellious student throughout the entire movie. He hated the life that was set out for him and hated that the other young men were so reluctant to initiate change in the school. Nevertheless, he was not knowledgeable in how and when to effectively rebel in order to cause long-term change. Mr. Keating was able to show Charlie his faults and gave him the opportunities to rebel against specific ideas. Without Mr. Keating, it is apparent that many of the conflicts that the students faced in the movie would not have been overcome as the boys did not have a proper leader to follow in their lives.