Characterisation Todd Anderson

    

Although I like most of the characters in this book, my favourite character is Todd Anderson. In the book, he´s one of the main characters and plays a very important role in it. 

In the beginning, Todd is very shy and quiet, in general, a very isolated and lonely person. I think Todd never really had his own personal "moment to shine" because he always stands in the shadow of his older and very successful brother. His parents actually don´t really care about him, for example, they give their son the same presents for two years because they forgot, what he likes and already have.

If you grow up with a family like this, it´s normal to become sad and isolated. But in his new school, Welton Academy, he finds good friends like Neil who help him to become more open. Also his favourite teacher Mr Keating makes him more communicative, brave and self-confident. He begins to write his own poems, which are very good. At the end of the book, he also finds the courage to present one of them in front of the dead poets society. 

He begins to really like his new school, his new friends and his new teacher. Although he is still a bit isolated, he begins to hang out more with his new group of friends and becomes an important member of the dead poets society. 

At the tragic end of the book, when Neil shot himself, Todd is broken. He doesn´t want to believe that his friend wouldn´t be there anymore. He is frustrated and blames Mr Perry, Neils father, for the death of his own and only son. He is even more frustrated when he has to sign a paper, that says, that Mr Keating would be blamed for Neils death and that he would never be allowed to teach again. Todd doesn´t sign it and has to live with the consequences for himself. He just          couldn´t blame somebody he really likes for a tragedy like this. This is a sign of true strength and bravery. 

Todd is the best example, to show the world that you can change with the help of good friends. He has a hard path of development behind himself. The shyest and withdrawned person of the whole book is, in the end, the strongest and loyal one. I think that everybody can learn something from this courageous boy.