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Perks Of Being A Wallflower Coming Of Age Essay

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The novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, is about a boy named Charlie who is a freshman in high school. He writes diary entrees of his daily life, and events that go on between him, his family, and friends. Charlie is a very quiet boy and keeps most things he sees and hears to himself. He talks to no one his age at school, but is friends with some seniors, and his English teacher, Bill. This book takes readers on an exciting yet risky journey with Charlie and his friends. There are lots of different themes in this novel, but one in particular stood out the most. The theme of coming of age plays a significant role in Perks of being a Wallflower because it shows how Charlie matures throughout the novel in how he starts experimenting with drugs, alcohol and girls, the way he becomes closer with his family and his friends, and how he changes from being an observer to participating.

Charlie starts experimenting with drugs, alcohol and girls. Charlie has a couple romances in this novel, but nothing can compare to Charlie’s love for Sam. “And she kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that I could never tell my friends about out loud. It was the kind of kiss that made me know that I was never so happy in my whole life” (75). In this quote, Charlie’s love for Sam is present. This quote has to do with experimentation because Charlie had his first kiss, which means he it …show more content…

Charlie’s journey through his freshman year of high school involved many different exciting and interesting scenarios. His maturity develops while dealing with all of these mature subjects, and that is why the theme coming of age is essential in this

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