The outsider in The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is the first novel that comes to mind when talking about outsiders. Saying that Charlie, the main character of the novel is shy is an understatement. Charlie has an extremely difficult time with feelings and how to express them comparing to others, even if they may be confusing for anyone. The entire book is written as a series of letters to a “friend”. His letters give us an intimate look into his life, his thoughts, his hopes, his fears, and his fragile mental state. He writes these anonymous letters to unburden himself, thus, the recipient never learns who sent them, nor is able to replay. Having to hide in order to express himself or just talk to someone, may be considered a sign of diffidence, low self-esteem and poor social skills. However, through these letters (and with help from his English teacher), Charlie develops his writing skills and, in the end, he realizes he wants to become a writer. When asked about his relationship with the character, Stephen Chbosky confirmed that he somehow relates to Charlie because he does “see life the way Charlie does”. However, the character is not based on himself: “my life in high school was in many ways different.” (Chbosky, LA Youth). The book starts with
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In Charlie's mind, though, Sam is just an unattainable goal. She's pretty clear in her demand that he doesn't pursue her: "I like Craig. And I know that I told you not to think of me that way. And I know that we can't be together". (Chbosky, The perks of being a wallflower). However, she is a good friend to Charlie. Her honest concern for him is pretty clear. When Charlie starts to freak out because of his repressed memories, she handles it with elegance. And although she has to leave for college shortly after Charlie's breakdown begins, she comes back to visit and takes him through a tunnel that he
"It's okay. We aren't in the same class. Just don't forget some of us watch the sunset too". This quote from The Outsiders seems to be the main point of this whole book. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a timeless novel.
Outsiders are a common sources of topic throughout literature and are defined as people who differ from what society deems as normal or having normal qualities. Throughout the semester, we have read several works that use outsiders to help convey a certain theme or message and there was one particular work that stood out from the rest. While reading “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, the use of outsiders was incredibly effective due to Sherman using his own experiences of being an outsider throughout his life. This essay is the perfect example of the use of outsiders because of Alexie discussing how his parents raised him, his childhood experiences in school, and his adulthood ambitions. First of all, Alexie
Whenever we need to break unsatisfactory habits, change our ways of thinking, or even do something differently, no matter how hard we try, many of us go back to our old habits/selves. It is important to use all our will and realize when we are referring back to our old ideology and try as much as we can to build a new way of thinking. Through many classic stories, main characters look as if they are on their road to change by starting to build the new, but it is just too hard for them and they want conformity, so they go back to their old selves. According to the article, “Teen Gangstas”, by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, the plight of Ponyboy Curtis, the protagonist from S.E. Hinton’s classic young adult novel, The Outsiders, will end tragically unless he adopts a pet in which he grows and bond and cares for.
Charlie changes how he sees the world from three experiences. Charlie changed because of his father passing away by becoming an adult, Charlie became more confident because he protected his mother from an abusive man and had people ‘encourage’ his confidence. Finally, Charlie has changed by showing empathy towards people who are in debt of gangster that are going through hardship just like Charlie’s family. Charlie is the protagonist of the story, the Runner because he has made his character unique by showing character change, emotion and by displaying the theme of the novel through his character which has made this reading experience exceptionally
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.
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
Ultimately, his repressed memories of sexual abuse subconsciously played a role in his relationships and who he became as an individual. In fact, upon this realization Charlie decides he no longer needs to write to the mysterious stranger; believing he has control over his own life and that he is not defined by his past. For example, Charlie said “I keep quiet most of the time, and only one kid named Sean seemed to notice me” (Chbosky 7). In conclusion, there are perks if you prefer to not be the center of attention and the drawbacks as you maybe a target for bullies and miss out on opportunities, of being a
For example, on page 299, “I felt sick inside as I looked at his dull, vacuous smile, the wide bright eyes of a child, uncertain but easy to please. And I had been laughing at him too. Suddenly, I was furious at myself and all those who were laughing at him.” Here, Charlie was realizing that people were mean and rude to people who weren’t like them. That people looked down to people who were different than them or not as smart.
After the extremity of this episode, he was placed into a hospital, and treated for his schizophrenia. Throughout the film adaptation, Charlie’s serious portrayal of his condition was accurately shown, emphasizing how Stephen Chbosky is capable of providing real life examples of
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
Before Charlies operation he was not able to express his feelings accurately, but Charlies temporary intelligence
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.
Just like he blames himself for the suicide of his friend Michael, he blames himself for his Aunt 's death too and would rather not talk about it. Charlie 's high school life begins solo, until he meets Sam and Patrick – seniors – who help him cope with these issues and introduce him to the world of good music, drugs and other things. Throughout the story, we see him battling to accept himself and the world around him while growing up. 3. Charlie Kelmeckis is a blue eyed fifteen (sixteen by the end of the book) year old teenage boy.
In fact, he has not felt true recognition since he was a child, when his Aunt Helen visited from time to time. Aunt Helen made him feel loved and wanted, however, as a child, he did not recognize her actions for what they truly were: sexual abuse. Throughout his life, Charlie experiences flashbacks of moments spent with his Aunt, eventually understanding her actions as sexual misconduct, and suffering from the emotional turmoil stemming from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Although the typical representation of PTSD in movies can often alienate viewers, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an exception, because Charlie’s flashbacks allow us to be empathetic to his situation, normalizing the stigma around suicidal-depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
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.