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Introduction:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a romance and young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky, published in 1999. The book was also adapted into a movie in 2012, starring Logan Lerman as Charlie, Ezra Miller as Patrick, and Emma Watson as Sam. The book follows Charlie’s letters and his perspective as a freshman. He’s dealing with his English class and his love life. He goes through events of dating, closures, and more. The book is famous for its adaption of the movie and the plot. 

Plot: 

At the beginning of the novel, Charlie is dealing with the traumatic deaths of two loved ones. His only friend from middle school recently committed suicide, and when Charlie was seven, his Aunt Helen died in a car crash on Christmas Eve, which is also his birthday. Nervous about starting high school, Charlie finds support from two main sources. His English teacher, Bill Anderson, recognizes Charlie’s talent for writing and encourages him with extra assignments. Charlie also connects with Patrick and his stepsister, Sam, who include him in their friend group. He develops a crush on Sam, who treats him kindly, while Patrick, who is gay, is secretly dating Brad, the football team’s quarterback. As the school year progresses, Charlie starts to come out of his shell, but his life and his friends’ lives become more complicated. The holidays are tough for Charlie’s family due to memories of Aunt Helen’s death. Although he finds solace and comfort in reading *The Catcher in the Rye*, Charlie struggles with depression and flashbacks. His friendships help him feel more at peace, and his relationship with his sister deepens. When Charlie learns about his sister’s abusive boyfriend, he tells Bill, resulting in tension between him and his sister. Later, when she needs an abortion, she trusts Charlie to take her to the clinic. Charlie performs as Rocky in *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, and soon after, he starts dating Mary Elizabeth, who is more focused on herself than their relationship. A game of Truth or Dare leads to a kiss with Sam, which angers Mary Elizabeth. Tensions rise, and Patrick’s relationship with Brad becomes strained when Brad’s father finds out. After Brad is sent to rehab, he returns but refuses to talk to Patrick. When conflict arises in the cafeteria, Charlie intervenes, earning back the respect of his friends. Patrick, feeling lost, seeks comfort from Charlie, who understands his pain. As the school year ends, Charlie becomes anxious about his friends leaving. He and Sam share a moment of intimacy, but it triggers a memory of Aunt Helen molesting him as a child, leaving him uncomfortable. In the epilogue, Charlie writes a letter to an unnamed friend, explaining that his parents found him in a catatonic state. He was taken to a mental hospital, where he realized he had repressed memories of abuse. By the end, Charlie forgives Aunt Helen and decides to stop writing letters, choosing to engage more fully in his life.

Analysis:

Charlie was dealing with two deaths which shows that he needs closure, especially since Aunt Helen was close to him since he didn’t have his parents by his side. However, she abused him when he was younger, and his younger memories troubled him. The book shows the closure process through his high school English class where he met his encouraging teacher, Mr. Anderson. Through him, he grew his skills of writing and he got comfort in books, especially “The Catcher in the Rye”. In his letters, he always ends his letters with “Love always, Charlie”. These letters show he was writing these to someone unnamed in the book. He also has a social life with Sam, Patrick, and Brad. The author targets the LGBTQ group with the relationship between Patrick and Brad and displays conflicts with disagreements between their parents. He also handles romance, specifically love triangles, as Sam is dating Craig, but Charlie loves Sam. However, in between, Charlie begins dating Mary Elizabeth. He is not content with her, as his feelings for Sam still linger around and Mary Elizabeth only thinks about herself and not them as a whole. The author also presents them as high school students through the Truth or Dare game. During this game, Charlie kisses Sam due to a dare, and jealousy and betrayal arise between Mary Elizabeth and Charlie. This leads to their breakup and could be determined by her selfishness and jealousy. However, it is wrong for Charlie to kiss another girl while he is in a relationship. However, his relationship with Sam ended badly as spending time with her reminded him of his memories with Aunt Helen. Through his experiences with his sister’s abusive boyfriend, he became closer to her. They got close enough for her to trust Charlie with abortion. The end shows Charlie’s closure on Aunt Helen’s troubling memories and his eventual forgiveness towards her. This ends Charlie’s letter and his hope for his future to be more engaged in himself. 

Conclusion:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a young adult romance novel by Stephen Chbosky, published in 1999. It became a 2012 movie starring Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, and Emma Watson. The book follows Charlie’s letters in freshman year who is dealing with troubles with his past and social life. He is involved in a love triangle with Sam and Craig even though he has a girlfriend. However, when he kisses Sam during the game of Truth or Dare, he part ways with Mary Elizabeth, his ex. He decides to end his letters when he finds closure in his memories of his aunt. The book shows Charlie writing letters to someone and shows his hope to be more engaged in himself.