As a misfit operating on his own, Charlie is powerless and overly self-reflective, often paralyzing himself and refraining from taking any action. These themes include drugs, friendship, body image, first love, suicide, eating disorders and sexuality. Charlie drives his sister to the abortion clinic and sits in the waiting room while she goes through her procedure. Charlie's quest for manhood also relates to the theme of sexuality, since Charlie tries to connect with Sam on a level deeper than friendship. Read by all ages, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is targeted at a teenage audience. How does Charlie feel at the clinic? The book addresses a range of themes dispassionately. While Edmond is imprisoned feels as if he will never be released. In-depth explanations of The Perks of Being a Wallflower's themes. How can Charlie view himself as a strong man after being taken advantage of by a woman that he loved? In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Chbosky includes characters who had life-altering experiences in their young adulthood, like Charlie ’s parents, to illustrate that the experiences of adolescence can be lingering and deeply impactful. Many of the characters have been molested in their pasts, including Aunt Helen and Charlie; this aspect of the theme indicates the cyclic nature of sexual abuse. How so? While Charlie wants to survive high school, he forces himself to participate in school functions, to prevent himself from falling back into his depression. When we were choosing which Perks of Being A Wallflower quotes to feature in this collection, we had to consider if everyone was familiar with the protagonist Charlie, a socially awkward young high school student who finds himself mixed in with a group of equally but different awkward friends. Patrick offers a poignant toast to Charlie, celebrating the "perks of being a wallflower." When Charlie reveals some of the secrets, like when he tells Bill that his sister's boyfriend hit her, his life crumbles slightly. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER Czarina Ann B. Baptisma Hum St 25 Ma’am Odal-Devora October 18, 2013 INTRODUCTION Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age novel about a 15-year-old boy, Charlie, who is unable to repress any emotions. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Home/. He begins by attending football games, the Homecoming Dance, and parties. by Stephen Chbosky. At its core, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age story, in which Charlie questions what it means to be a man. He made them seem real, which helps readers relate. And there were reasons for the family keeping those secrets for they were hurtful, sinful and even criminal. Charlie addresses these subjects and more in his letters; however, he does so implicitly. The epistolary novel is comprised of a series of letters that Charlie writes to someone he calls “friend,” although he has never met this friend in person. He does not settle for how people present themselves; he is always digging deeper. He is able to come to terms with many of his past experiences, and he is also better able to process his emotions. He is not satisfied with knowing just how happy these people are perceived to be; rather, he wants to know how they are really feeling. The novel was first released on 1999 by MTV Books. List of Books that Charlie Reads with Bill, Read the Study Guide for The Perks of Being a Wallflower…, Coming of Age in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Content with the Mediocre: The Underside of Acceptance in Chbosky's Novel, Tragedy and Toxicity in Kitchen and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Introduction to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Perks of Being a Wallflower Bibliography, View the lesson plan for The Perks of Being a Wallflower…, View Wikipedia Entries for The Perks of Being a Wallflower…. Lauer, Caroline. Charlie's coming of age story is particularly interesting because he must overcome and deal with the fact that he was sexually abused by his aunt, a gender reversal of the most common incidents of abuse. The epistolary form of The Perks of Being a Wallflower communicates the theme of a delicate truth – the need for confidentiality and the drastic effects of exposing the truth – through an establishment of trust. Charlie is fascinated by sex, and many of his letters detail how his sexual desires revolve around Sam. Character Analysis. And you understand,” (37) Throughout the book we see Charlie being a wallflower which is the kind of person that he is. Beyond typical topics like identity and love, The Perks of Being a Wallflower explores the multifaceted teenaged world through less common themes regarding passivity, music, and the lifelong effects of trauma. Another main theme in Perks of Being a Wallflower is coming of age. Overall, Charlie's quest for growth and adulthood drives the plot of the novel. You might consider when Charlie is taken to a mental hospital, where he eventually realizes that Aunt Helen had sexually abused him, but that he had repressed these memories. Get started. In addition, the theme of drug use is key to Charlie's self-discovery and personal development. Learn and understand all of the themes found in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, such as Friendship. He … Another theme that is in Perks of Being a Wallflower is growing up or coming of age. Charlie eventually . Charlie is not a very social person and he is a very good listener with a kind soul. The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky. With Bill's, Sam's, and Patrick's help, Charlie becomes more comfortable participating. Chbosky's protagonist has three possible role models - his father, brother, and Bill - but finds it difficult to emulate any of them and discerns that he is very different from his own family members. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be. Not until the end of the novel do we realize that Charlie is holding onto his own secret: namely, his Aunt Helen had molested him when he was a child. Charlie spends so much time observing because he seeks understanding: he is still not sure how he fits into the high school scene, and he is constantly trying to get a better sense of the societal structures he comes across. Related. There is a focus on sexuality throughout The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and this emphasis takes many forms. The altered state of mind that Charlie experiences after using LSD and some of his encounters with pot all point to the chaos that operates within his brain on a daily basis. The truth is to be trod on lightly, suggesting negative consequences of a blunt attitude. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Secrets form the framework of his life, and in many cases provide an unexpected stability. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 1999 young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky. The teenage characters in the novel have typical experiences like first dates and applying to college, but they also confront issues like accidental pregnancy, sexual assault, … Adolescence and Transformation . How much do you think this brings Charlie and his sister closer together? There are and can be many themes for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is HUGE on friendship. He makes it immediately clear that he wants to remain … You keep quiet about them. This is a huge transition because in high school you really get exposed. GradeSaver, 27 July 2014 Web. but my favorite is this one. Catcher And Perks Of Being A Wallflower, By J. D. Salinger On top of that, she molests Charlie, and therefore takes advantage of his innocence and love. Charlie had no friends at the beginning of the book. When Charlie enters high school, he is withdrawn. He learned a dark part of his past that will change his whole life. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower Themes". The Perks of Being a Wallflower Themes T he main themes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower are friendship, sexuality, and mental illness. Although many may think that the number of controversial issues discussed in the book makes it negative, the book is really about finding yourself in the midst of chaos and peer pressure. Your IP: 176.227.168.27 Check out Shmoop's visual take on what it's all about. Menu. Based on the book written by Stephan Chbosky, the Perks of Being a Wallflower thrives as a film. Download Save. The perks of being a wallflower book Personally, I think the book portrays one of the perks of being a wallflower as the fact that someone like Sam took notice of Charlie. “I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China … It's the story of Charlie, told through letters from Charlie to an unnamed friend. I'm sorry, this is a short-answer "literature" forun designed for text specific questions. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6460463be8954125 After arriving home from that conversation with Bill, Charlie can instantly tell that Bill has called home, and Charlie's sister tells him that she hates him. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. Yet as Charlie participates more, his position as a wallflower is simultaneously validated. Chapter Summaries & Analyses. However, after he is adopted by a larger band of misfits, he is alerted to new possibilities as he becomes more comfortable with his own identity. this has caused him to have an adult view of the world. Summary. He had gained so much experience just from hanging around older people. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is Stephen Chbosky’s first novel and was published in 1999. When Charlie and his group … Part 2, Chapters 21-25. In the book, you see how friends can really make a difference in your life. And both sides learned that it was something that wasn't spoken about. The Perks of Being a Wallflower essays are academic essays for citation. Even though it addresses a very specific set of issues, this novel is able to strike a chord with a vast group of readers. Tied in with the drug use is the theme of secrecy, and Charlie often uses illicit substances to come to terms with the many secrets he holds. Log In. When Charlie and his group of friends come together, they can be honest with one another, and Charlie thrives on this communication. As you read the book or watch the movie, you realize how this quote cooperates with many relationships. Charlie has a difficult time recovering from his LSD trip because he finds it hard to stabilize his mind and focus on one thing - something that he admits causes him difficulty even on good days. 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