Lily :
Neil’s character is so tragic because you know that either path would have ended with his death and him being miserable and never really happy. Because even if he got away with being an actor, he wouldn’t have had his father’s approval, would have been separated from his friends, and also being an actor is really hard, so there’s a big chance he wouldn’t have had roles and he would have gotten the feeling of failure and the thought that maybe his father was right. All of that being way too much to bear, ending with him unaliving himself. Then there’s the movie finale, which ends with him dying.
But also the path of him going to military school and after that going to college to be a doctor: having this resentment toward the career even though he was excellent at it, he wouldn’t have loved it and, in consequence, he wouldn’t be able to love himself. I believe Neil actually would have totally despised himself because he hates what he does, resents his father (which would make him feel guilty, because of religion). Also, because no kid wants to resent or hate their parent, even when they are the cause of your own feelings of underachievement because they never let you prove that you could be more than what they thought you would be able to be.
2025-12-23 15:12:58