Analysis Of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age novel that was first published in 1999. After five years of having random ideas such as “a boy standing in a tunnel”, a girl he likes, and parties he goes, the author began to write the novel when he was facing difficult times in his life. Set in the 1990s, the novel follows Charlie through his first year of high school where he faces challenges many teenagers may experience, including drugs and alcohol, sex, love, depression, homosexuality, and just feeling like you don’t belong. Chbosky has stated in interviews that he wrote the book as “a blueprint for survival... for people who have been through terrible things and need hope and support.” Perks was intended to be an unparalleled

It’s a weird way to end a conflict but in the end it seemed like the only way to let him do what he wanted. Charlie is a persistent, adventurous dreamer; he will risk his life to do what he dreams of. He is persistent because he won’t let the school stop him from looking out the window. When he was looking out the window and his teacher called on him he “was [staring]

"'No,' I say firmly. ' What did you say?' ' I said no'" (253). I'm the beginning of the book Charlie did everything that his mother told him to do. Charlie's mother is a controlling, using, backstabbing woman, she is constantly telling Charlie and his father what to do thinking that she is the queen of everyone and everything.

An experience that changes Charlie is when Charlie’s father dies. This experience changes him when he says, “When the undertakers came to wheel my father’s lifeless body out to the hearse, it was as if they took my childhood with them. Like other boys, I still wore ‘Knickerbockers’ in the schoolyard. I played ‘queenies’ and marbles too. But once the lessons were over, I returned home and stepped into the long pants of adulthood.

He is sexist and fancy of himself as a man's man. We get the sense that his “girl in every port” lifestyle is driven by a “you only live once” attitude. But things change in a crisis. Problem with an aircraft engine, force Charlie to make a crash landing only yards from the shore of a lake. Luckily both of them unharmed during the crash.

Stephen Chbosky uses the title The Perks of Being a Wallflower to display irony, because Charlies life while being excluded by society has everything but good moments in them. After the party where he was dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room and Charlie didn't choose his girlfriend, Charlie’s friends stopped talking to him. Charlies already poor mental health became worse when he was alone. In a letter on pg 144, about the aftermath of that incident he wrote, “ I don’t know how much longer I can keep going without a friend. I use to be able to do it very easily, but that was before I knew what having a friend is like.”

1. The Perks of being a Wallflower is a story about a high school freshman named Charlie. Through the entire novel Charlie is writing letters addressed to an anonymous friend. In these letters, he talks about his journey throughout his first year in high school. Where he experiences everything for the first time – first dates, family drama, drugs and new friends. In other words; growing up.

To make more sense of my claim, I have yet another example from earlier in the book. When Charlie was walking the kids sled, he thought, "...all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough" (Chbosky 74).

Charlie repeats this to himself because he thinks hiding Laura’s body was wrong and wishes to fix his mistakes. This shows that each decision Charlie makes is to hide Laura’s body, and Charlie is filled with guilt. “Laura Wishart is dead and I touched her warm body and she’s cursed me with dread and sorrow.” (Silvey, P.83) Dialogue is also another crucial technique used by Silvey to explore Charlie’s ethics and

In front of the entire school, Charlie daringly stands up to Nolan and the school policy, mindful of his fate of corporal punishment and possible expulsion, and claims his involvement but protects the rest of the group. Prepared for the consequences of his actions, Charlie stands up to authority,

This is the part in the story where Charlie starts to see his

In “Flowers for Algernon” Charlie came to realize that his mother Rose did not really care about him and that all she wanted was him to be “perfect”. Charlie realized that he would never be enough for his mom and family. Rose always got on to Charlie and spanked him for things he could not control. For example, when Charlie peed on himself he got spanked but it was not his fault because he could not control it. Charlie was basically excluded when his sister Norma was born because she was the child her mom had

Gupta [1] Shrishti Gupta Ms.Kanika Dang English thesis paper 20th October, 2015 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stefen Chbosky ‘The perks of being a wallflower’ is a popular book read mostly among teenagers, it revolves around the life of an introverted boy called Charlie. This book is a rollercoaster of human emotions and an excellent portrayal of “misfits” as they struggle to find their place in the turbulent high school world. The readers have greeted this premise with empathy and understanding. Charlie’s haunting letters, addressed only to “Dear Friend,” bring readers straight to the heart of his struggles to fit in, to find the will to “participate” in life, and to cope with the realities of the larger world as he learns how to grow up. ‘the perks of being a wallflower’ is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Stefen Chbosky and published in 1999.

and Charlie had the courage to speak up about girls being

The film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, follows the story of Charlie as he braves through the challenges of freshman year. Throughout his first year, Charlies experiences friendship, alienation, love, mistakes, depression, acceptance of past events and newfound motivation. With the help of his love interest Sam, her stepbrother Patrick, and other likeminded individuals, Charlie is able to gain a sense of belonging and a boost of confidence that ensures his survival for the high school years yet to come (Halfon, Chbosky, 2012). This essay will delve into an in-depth analysis of adolescence from a socio-cultural perspective, using events from the film to provide examples and further enhance arguments. Furthermore, topics highlighting what I believe to be the most crucial aspects of adolescence will be discussed. The analysis of hegemonic masculinity, age induced frustration and restrictions, and the discourse of innocence will be defined and elaborated on. Finally, a comparison between the socio-cultural and developmental lenses of youth analysis, the unique view they each offer and my personal experience using the socio-cultural lens, will be discussed.