Perks of Being a Wallflower Thesis
Stephen Chbosky's book the Perks of being a Wallflower showcases a young boy Charlie as an outcast that watches everything surrounding him. Charlie goes through many personality changes during his freshmen year. He starts the year out as a shy observer who rarely talks, but later on is more active and outgoing. By the end of the book Charlie is no longer a "wallflower" and is participating in his life.
The book starts off with the suicide of Charlie's good friend Michael at the end of eighth grades, which breaks Charlie's friend group leaving him alone to start his freshman year of high school. Charlie said, "So this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that can be (2)." Charlie is confused and he isn't exactly sure how to feel. He is going through a rough time after losing one of his only friends. As Charlie starts high school he doesn't like it; he isn't able to find the right group friend yet and he feels like a loner. After about a month of school Charlie meets Sam and Patrick at the school football game and he realizes that Sam is very attractive. "Incidentally, Sam has brown hair and very very pretty green eyes. the kind of green that doesn't make a big deal about itself (19)." When Charlie first met Sam he knew instantly that he loved her. But she knew it wouldn't work out not because Charlie was too young but because he wasn't "there". Meaning he doesn't take action for things he wants to do, he just sits back and listens. "Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you not even there sometimes. It's great you that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and call it love. You just can't. You have to do things"(200). At the end of the book Charlie realizes he needs to
The book starts off with the suicide of Charlie's good friend Michael at the end of eighth grades, which breaks Charlie's friend group leaving him alone to start his freshman year of high school. Charlie said, "So this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that can be (2)." Charlie is confused and he isn't exactly sure how to feel. He is going through a rough time after losing one of his only friends. As Charlie starts high school he doesn't like it; he isn't able to find the right group friend yet and he feels like a loner. After about a month of school Charlie meets Sam and Patrick at the school football game and he realizes that Sam is very attractive. "Incidentally, Sam has brown hair and very very pretty green eyes. the kind of green that doesn't make a big deal about itself (19)." When Charlie first met Sam he knew instantly that he loved her. But she knew it wouldn't work out not because Charlie was too young but because he wasn't "there". Meaning he doesn't take action for things he wants to do, he just sits back and listens. "Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you not even there sometimes. It's great you that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and call it love. You just can't. You have to do things"(200). At the end of the book Charlie realizes he needs to