Banning The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Essay

What does it mean to ban a book? A banned book is one that has been removed from the shelves of a library, bookstore, or classroom because of its controversial content. (About.com) Before banning, a book must be challenged. A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. (About Banned And Challenged Books) A book is challenged when a person or group dislikes some of its content, and wishes to have it removed. Often times, it is banned for obscenities and is considered unsuited for the set age group, or any age group.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky has been banned and challenged for many years and for a multitude of reasons. It has been challenged every year since it’s release in different locations. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was challenged for: drugs, alcohol, the glorification of drugs and alcohol, smoking, homosexuality, offensive

language, sexually explicit content, masturbation, date rape, abuse, bestiality, and over all being considered unsuited for it’s age group.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower has several scenes involving drug and alcohol abuse among teens and adults. Some quotes from the novel supporting the claims of
drug abuse and glorification are: “Things were worse an hour ago, and I was looking at this tree but it was a dragon and then a tree, and I remembered that one nice pretty weather day when I was part of the air.” (Chbosky 94) This quote refers to the main character, Charlie, tripping on LSD. there were several more incidents with LSD, many ending up poorly.
“After a week of not talking to anyone, I finally called Bob. [...] He said he had a quarter ounce of pot left. So, I took some of my Easter money and bought it. I've been smoking it all the time since.” (Chbosky 139) This refers to Charlie buying marijuana from his friend, which was rather common. Some examples of alcohol abuse are: “My aunt Helen drank a lot. My aunt Helen took drugs a lot. My aunt Helen had many problems with men and boys.” (Chbosky 90) and “Patrick and I have been spending a lot of time together. We drink a lot. Actually, it's more like Patrick drinks, and I sip.” (Chbosky 161); both telling about alcohol abuse involving family and friends of the main character.

There are also several references to cigarette smoking in the novel. “'Can I have a cigarette?' I said. I couldn't bring myself to say 'bum a smoke.' Not for my first one. I just couldn't. 'Sure,' said Patrick.” (Chbosky 101) This was a very significant moment because before this scene Charlie had a panic attack and wanted to smoke to “calm down”. The scene becomes more significant after the quote: "I'm now up to about ten cigarettes a day." (Chbosky 103) It is important because it shows the addiction forming.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower contains depictions of homosexuality, masturbation,
date-rape, molestation, bestiality, as well as other sexually explicit material. Charlie’s best friend Patrick is gay and experiences a lot of turmoil because of it, even from his partner. As shown in this quote, Patrick’s lover Brad had a very difficult time coming to terms with his sexuality and tried his best to deny it. “Brad's parents never did figure out why their son was getting stoned and drunk all the time. Neither did anybody else. Except the people who knew. I asked Patrick if he felt sad that he had to keep it a secret, and Patrick just said that he wasn't sad because at least for now, Brad doesn't have to get drunk or stoned to make love.” (Chbosky 43) Even after Brad left Patrick, more conflicts arose regarding homosexuality and the bullying associated with it. Some of said bullying was inflicted by Brad.

Charlie finds an interest in mastuabation and writes a lot about it. These paragraphs sparked many debates on the book’s appropriateness. “Do you know what ‘masturbation’ is? I think you probably do because you are older than me. But just in case, I will tell you. Masturbation is when you rub your genitals until you have an orgasm. Wow! I thought that in those movies and television shows when they talk about having a coffee break that they should have a masturbation break. But then again, I think this would decrease productivity.” (Chbosky 21) In this quote, Charlie explains his first ventures with touching himself, but wait- there’s more. “I guess I forgot to mention in my last letter that it was Patrick who told me about masturbation. I guess I forgot to tell you how often I do it now, which is a lot. I don't like to look at pictures. I just close my eyes and dream about a lady I do not know. And I try not to feel ashamed....One night, I felt so guilty that I promised God that I would never do it again. So, I started using blankets, but then the blankets hurt, so I started using pillows, but then the pillows hurt, so I went back to the normal way.”(Chbosky 27) Charlie mentions it a few more times, but none as notable as these.
Also found in the beginning of the novel, Charlie witnesses date-rape in his own bedroom. His brother was throwing a party and forced him to stay in his room, and drunk couple made their way in. The following took place a few minutes in, when the boy forced himself upon his girlfriend. “After a few minutes, the boy pushed the girl's head down, and she started to kiss his penis. She was still crying. Finally, she stopped crying because he put his penis in her mouth, and I don't think you can cry in that position. I had to stop watching at that point because I started to feel sick, but it kept going on, and they kept doing other things, and she kept saying "no." Even when I covered my ears, I could still hear her say that.” (Chbosky 31) This event traumatized Charlie and stuck with him for many years.

Charlie was molested by his aunt Helen at young age and had repressed the memories for years. He didn’t realize the truth until he was having his “first time” with sam and she touched him. “It was like everything made sense. Until she moved her hand under my pants, and she touched me.” (Charlie begins to cry, and Sam asks if she hurt him. He says no, and that he has to go home.) “It felt good actually. [But] I didn't know what was wrong. (Chbosky 51-54) Later, he then says: “I kind of figured out that everything I dreamt about my aunt Helen was true.” Showing his realization that he had been molested throughout his childhood. Not just was he molested, but his aunt helen was his favorite, and most trusted person.

It is unnecessary to quote all of the incidents with sexually explicit material because of how many quotes there would be. They range from homosexual, heterosexual, and bestiality. Homosexual interactions occurred between Brad and Patrick, as well as one incident between Charlie and Patrick. “When most people left, Brad and Patrick went into Patrick's room. They had sex for the first time that night. I don't want to go into detail about it, because it's pretty private stuff, but I will say that Brad assumed the role of the girl in terms of where you put things. I think that's pretty important to tell you. When they were finished, Brad started to cry really hard. He had been drinking a lot. And getting really stoned.” (Chbosky 44) There are very detailed heterosexual sex scenes between Charlie’s sister and her boyfriend. “And I opened the door to the basement, and my sister and this boy were naked. He was on top of her, and her legs were draped over either side of the couch.” (Chbosky 12) Can’t forget bestiality, which is mentioned here: “There was a guy named Carl Burns and everyone called him C.B. And one day C.B. got so drunk at a party that he tried to "fuck" the host's dog.” (Chbosky 159)

Lastly, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was challenged for its “ colorful” wording.
Two examples are the quotes: "What the fuck is wrong with you” (Chbosky 136). Which leads to: "And I thought Brad was fucked-up. Jesus" (Chbosky 136). There are many more examples of obscene language throughout the novel.

After listing out all the reasons for banning the novel, one might have a biased opinion leaning towards it.

However, this book absolutely should not be banned. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower has depth. It isn’t like the cheesy high school movies you’d see on disney channel, it’s more real. It shows what actual high school is like and addresses real problems that students face. Many of the justifications for the banning were parents saying they didn’t want their kid exposed to the obscenities, but realistically speaking, their kid probably already has been. They will find out from friends or the internet either way, so why not let them read about it and learn? Suicide was also mentioned several times throughout the novel, and was another reason for its discomfort among parents. This is another thing very prominent in high school, and it often goes unspoken of; and as time goes on, middle schoolers will experience this too. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower should not be banned because it is realistic and touching, not to mention an

eye-opener.