Throughout The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky adorned the story beautifully with quotes and ideas to live by. Although the words were so eloquently put, they are relatable to readers, making the book very successful. Passages told by the narrator, Charlie, creates depth in the story, allowing it to touch reader’s hearts. "It was an old 45 record that had the Beatles’ song “Something.” I used to listen to it all the time when I was little and thinking about grown-up things. I would go to my bedroom window and stare at my reflection in the glass and the trees behind it and just listen to the song for hours. I decided then that when I met someone I thought was as beautiful as the song, I should give it to that person. And I didn’t mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all ways," Charlie thought while he gave Sam her Christmas present. To Charlie, music is sacred. He expresses his admiration to someone through music, like when he gave the 45 record to Sam, or gave Patrick a mixed tape. When he likes someone, he shares his music with him, it’s his way of …show more content…
And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn’t really change the fact that you have what you have,” expresses Charlie while he’s in a hospital room. I admire Charlie’s speculative way of raising children, or even treating people. Throughout Charlie’s life, he had to deal with the loss of a friend who committed suicide, abuse from his Aunt Helen, and his friends and siblings all leaving for college. With all the hardship that he’s been through, he knows that other people’s problems are also valid, even if they’re small. For example, when Patrick was going through the breakup with his boyfriend, Brad, Charlie tried his best to aid Patrick, even if it meant putting his personal problems
This helps Charlie stand out as a person who perseveres and attempts to make positive choices and help. When Charlie first started high school he was lonely and never participated. After personally experiencing molestation, he has suffered from unspecified mental illness, and has blocked out negative memories. Charlie has experiences a lot of sadness and this causes him to be caring towards everyone, including strangers. This is evident when Charlie is observing his classmates and their relationships, “And I wonder if anyone is really happy. I hope they are. I really hope they are” (Chbosky 24). Charlie is thinking about the idea of property, how the boyfriends are branding their girlfriends with their jackets. He hopes the girls feel comfortable and happy, no matter their situation. Sadness and loneliness are both familiar emotions to Charlie and this pushes him to want others to feel like they belong with someone. Charlie longs for these feelings and sympathizes with others. Although Charlie was lonely and sad in the beginning, he later started to develop strong friendships with Patrick and Sam. While participating in Secret Santa, Charlie decides to give Patrick a mixtape with songs that mean a great deal to him. The
Much the same as each other young person his age, Charlie needs to manage growing up. The photograph identifies with Charlie in light of the fact that his most concerning issue is himself. Charlie acts in like manner to regardless of whether the other individual might want or abhorrence his activities, rather than making the wisest decision. By giving into transitory wants, he harms them in a far and away more terrible way. " Also, I simply let [Patrick kiss me].
Stephen Chbosky was born in Pittsburgh on January 25, 1972. His parents were Fred and Lea Chbosky. He grew up in a Catholic family made up of his mother, father, and younger sister. Chbosky was inspired by J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye. Before graduating from Upper St. Clair High School, Chbosky met Stewart Stern. Stern is the screenwriter of Rebel Without a Cause. The two became close friends. Chbosky based the character Bill in The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Stewart Stern. (Biography of Stephen Chbosky)
Imagine receiving one’s first car or an acceptance letter to the best school in the state, or even simply having a birthday party. Now, on the contrary, imagine a close family member has just passed away, school is incredibly stressful, and, because of all this, a mental breakdown is on the horizon. From the most saturated moments to the ones that are decidedly grayscale, friends should be at the side of anyone experiencing these moments - which is nearly everyone. What if all those confidants vanished? This is what happened to charlie after his only friend, Michael, committed suicide. Then, he met step siblings Sam and Patrick, who filled his life with colors he hadn’t even known existed. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, the author emphasizes the theme that, no matter how cliché it is, friendship can often be the one thing that teaches a person what to do to save themselves.
Many people will go through breakups in their lifetime. Even Though these breakups can be extremely hard, and may send people into depression, they can also prepare you for future relationships. In the novel, “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” many of the characters experience times where they get their heart broken, but they learn from these experiences and prepare themselves for the future. Having a similar situation I am able to relate to each of these characters and the different experiences that they go through.
Charlie’s mental and emotional state. Many times in the story one must question his mental state and why he seems to be so sensitive to everything enough to cry. Not to mention at one point he blacks out probably due to the rage he felt at the time of Patrick getting beat up by his ex-boyfriend and his friends (Chbosky pgs. 150-151). It is later shown that Charlie does have PTSD, which is a disorder that develops in some people after a traumatic event in their life. In this case, him being molested by his Aunt as a child and her death on his birthday. As for his emotions they are a roller coaster on their own on page two of the book, he says he is “both happy and sad, and I’m still trying to figure out how that could
In the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main character Charlie is on a journey with his mental health. There are many high and low points, but it is obvious that he has a serious mental illness. Throughout the movie, Charlie shows many symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is defined as “A disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” by the National Institute of Mental Health, and can be diagnosed through the DSM-IV method. Firstly, there needs to be signs of deviant behaviour. During the movie there are multiple occasions where Charlie blacks out and loses his memory. Whether it was drug, rage or anxiety included, this is still considered both deviant behaviour and a symptom of PTSD. Secondly, there needs to be signs of maladaptive behaviour. At the beginning of the movie, we see Charlie writing letters to his deceased best friend about his negative thoughts and feelings. While it is good to express these thoughts and feelings, it is not normal to articulate them to a dead person. He also experiences multiple flashbacks to the trauma he experienced from his Aunt Helen. Flashbacks are one the most common symptoms of PTSD, and can also develop other mental illnesses such as depression if not correctly treated. Lastly, there needs to be signs of personal distress, which can be seen when charlie expresses quilt about his Aunt Helen’s death before he has a blackout in the snow. When his feelings
As an individual Charlie is socially awkward and timid, always watching life from the sidelines until he befriended Patrick an outcast of a senior due to his homosexuality. Patrick introduces
He got Patrick and decided to compile a playlist of songs that Patrick and Charlie both love to listen to. With regards to this, Charlie is again experiencing something different with his new group of friends and is enjoying it. Patrick likes to keep Charlie involved with things like this so he feels appreciated for having a friend like Patrick. Another example is when Charlie, Patrick, Sam, and Mary Elizabeth all go to The Rocky Horror Picture Show together. At the show, one of the characters, “Rocky” was missing, so Charlie decided to play him in the show.
Charlie lacks a sort of self-centredness that allows him to be especially kind to everyone. Although he strives to do what’s best, he is constantly sacrificing his own well-being for the comfort of others. An example of this is when he enters into a relationship with Mary-Elizabeth. Despite not being attracted to her, Charlie fears hurting her and therefore refuses to break up with her despite it causing him to struggle emotionally. Sam, Charlie’s friend is also an excellent example of striving to be a good human being as she looks past Charlie’s dark history and doesn’t judge him for it.
Sam and Patrick were his good friends and they taught him how to find happiness and how to hold onto it. With many situations Charlie was put in, he seemed to find his way through the help of his friends. Chbosky portrays Sam and Patrick as guiding stones for Charlie, teaching him the right way through life. Chbosky’s plan was to have the story relate to the readers as much as possible.
This passage near the ending of the book is very important for Charlie. Sam tells Charlie that if he likes her, he should be open to her, and if he wants to date her, he should ask her. Also, this reveals a change in Charlie after Sam tells him this; if he is uncomfortable with something, he will tell them that instead of being shy about it. For example, when Patrick kisses Charlie, he is uncomfortable with it, but because Patrick is his friend, he lets him do it. After what Sam tells Charlie, next time he will most likely be more open to Patrick and tell him he is uncomfortable with what he is doing to him. All in all, this passage is important, because it expresses that Charlie is changing from a once awkward and shy person to a more open and direct person.
After falling out with his friends because of his mistake with Mary Elizabeth, Charlie became even more depressed than he was before Sam and Patrick. He turned to smoking as a way to grieve at the loss of his friends and the loss of his previous life. Charlie becomes ever out of it. When his sister needs him to drive her to the abortion clinic, he feels important and depended on and as he reported this was the first he felt needed. This repercussion with his sister helped him
The majority of people understand what coming of age in high school was like. The ideas of being unsure of yourself, awkward, and just trying to find your way around can be intimidating. One book really shines a light on these awkward and often times frightening moments. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an impressive text because of its utilization of flat and round characters, its universal themes, and its tone. The book does however fall short in total effectiveness based on it’s over used plot points.
Charlie Kelmeckis is described as a “wallflower.” He is socially awkward and likes to keep to himself. He also really enjoys reading and writing. Charlie cares deeply for others, but has a lot of guilt about past events. For example, Charlie believes that the death of his Aunt Helen is his fault, because she was killed in a car accident on an errand to get Charlie a birthday gift. Charlie has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression. His mental instability was mostly caused by being sexually abused by his Aunt Helen before the age of seven. Charlie experiences flashbacks of his Aunt over the course of the movie, but all are portrayed in a positive light.