Peer Pressure in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

999 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Conclusion on perks of being a wallflower

“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem of those who think alike than those who think differently.”(Friedrich Nietzsche) In the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, the three main characters Charlie, Sam and Patrick illustrate peer pressure throughout different perspectives. Charlie is exposed to new things that allow him to mature and grow. Sam has experiences a pressure upon herself to keep up with her reputation although she began to realize right from wrong. Patrick is forced to keep his sexuality preferences private that subsequently may cause him harm. Peer pressure can help a person develop and grow as an individual. However, too much peer pressure can lead to a person losing sight of their identity.

Charlie begins his journey in high school as an independent individual. The novel introduces Charlie as a thoughtful, observant and different character that tries to fit in. Throughout Charlie meets two friends, Sam and Patrick, which help him fit in in the consequence of exposing him to drugs and alcohol. Charlie has tried many drugs such as marijuana, LSD, cigarettes and alcohol. “I ate the brownie, and it tasted a little weird, but it was still a brownie, so I still liked it. Since you are older, I think you know what kind of brownie it was. After thirty minutes, the room started to slip away from me.”(Chbosky 35) The quote describes Charlie’s first time using drugs when he was innocent and did not understand why the brownie had a weird taste. Later, Sam explained to him what the brownie contained. As part of growing up, he has been brought to light of negative resources. Those resources have brought him to constantly using them to relieve stress, deal with diff...

... middle of paper ...

...any beneficial and unbeneficial resources that only helps him develop. Sam’s high school life has been full of ups and downs, however now she learned from her behavior and past. Now, when she is off to collage she will be starting a new page in life that will only precede her to a better path. Patrick learns to not trust every person or fall in love with him unless he is sure he won’t be betrayed or taken advantage off but be treated appropriately. So, throughout the characters journey, they faced obstacles that affect them in positive and negative ways. As the protagonist says: “But because things change and friends leave and life doesn’t stop for anyone.” (Chbosky 145). Each one of the characters begins a new journey and starts a new page in his or her life.

Works Cited

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: MTV /Gallery, 2012. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Bad Haircut: Stories of the Seventies by Tom Perrotta

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyone faces varying degrees of peer pressure at least once in their lifetime, but what matters is how one reacts. In Bad Haircut—a collection of short stories—the author, Tom Perrotta, examines the effect of peer pressure on the main character, Buddy, in a comical yet informative light. Buddy faces peer pressure consistently and ends up associating with the wrong people, due to a lack of backbone. Yet Buddy is different and a better person than those who he associates with because he is compassionate and able to recognize that he is a follower; therein lies the irony that only the reader sees Buddy’s merit while the other characters only see the results of his friends’ poor judgment.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Transcendentalism In The Perks To Being A Wallflower

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    Growing up, Charlie faced two difficult loses that changed his life by getting him admitted in the hospital. As a young boy, he lost his aunt in a car accident, and in middle school, he lost his best friend who shot himself. That Fall, Charlie walks through the doors his first day of highschool, and he sees how all the people he used to talk to and hang out with treat him like he’s not there. While in English class, Mr. Anderson, Charlie’s English teacher, notices that Charlie knew the correct answer, but he did not want to speak up and let his voice be heard. As his first day went on, Charlie met two people that would change named Sam and Patrick who took Charlie in and helped him find himself. When his friends were leaving for college, they took one last ride together in the tunnel and played their favorite song. The movie ends with Charlie reading aloud his final letter to his friend, “This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story, you are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder, when you were listening to that song” (Chbosky). Ever since the first day, Charlie realized that his old friends and classmates conformed into the average high schooler and paid no attention to him. Sam and Patrick along with Mr. Anderson, changed his views on life and helped him come out of his shell. Charlie found a

    Read More

  • The Overachievers, by Alexandra Robbins

    2330 Words  | 5 Pages

    Gormly, Kellie B. "Peer Pressure - for Students and Adults - Can Be Positive." TribLIVE.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

    Read More

  • Fire-Starter

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charlie’s whole life is included in this book. The book revolves around Charlie’s power. It’s so powerful, that her parents can’t even try to control it.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Bass The River And Sheila Mant

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Peer pressure plays a huge role in today's society. About ninety percent of teens have been influenced by peer pressure in their lives. The narrator in the short story, The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant, was greatly influenced by Sheila Mant. She caused him to change his personality for her. It didn’t work. Sheila wasn’t interested in him even after he worked so hard to impress her. The narrator instantly regretted the situations in which he changed his personality. He regretted those instances throughout his entire life. It is important that a person does not change themselves for their peers because they will most likely regret it at some point in their

    Read More

  • The Outsiders Identity Analysis

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identification with a peer group is a critical part of growing up because even though there is a mix between valuable and invaluable points, no one wants to be left with nobody to help them figure out how they fit in the world and get pass tough times. Peer pressure can have positive impacts and not so good but the postive are too valuable to overpass, leaning us over to conclude that classifying with a circle of close friends are a key factor when going into the real

    Read More

  • Examples Of Isolationism In The Breakfast Club

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peer pressure can be to do something that is legal but against one 's morals, and some peer pressure can be for a person to do something illegal. In The Breakfast Club, the viewer sees that stereotypes can create peer pressure. For example, as the "brain", Brian experiences pressure from both friends and family to maintain a very high GPA. This isn 't necessarily bad peer pressure until Brian gets a failing grade on a workshop assignment. This peer pressure and the expectation of living up to his given stereotype leads him to contemplate suicide. Like the other detention students, the viewer realizes there is a person behind the "brain" who has feelings such as fear and disappointment. The film also presents another type of peer pressure that occurs in every high school, the treatment of other students who are not in your social group. For instance, Claire admits that when Monday arrives, there is a good chance she will not speak to any of the kids in the Saturday detention because of what her friends might think. She admits she "hates having to go along with everything" her friends want. She further explains, "you don 't understand the pressure that they can put on you!" This type of peer pressure isn 't directly spoken, but it is caused by fear of judgment from her own social class. Another example of peer pressure is show in the library when Bender goes to the back of the library to

    Read More

  • Peer Pressure In The Book Speak

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    One should remember that not all peer pressure is bad, although that is mostly what you see today. Good peer pressure needs to be done more, because why would you want to make someone do something bad, instead of helping them do something good and impacting them, because honestly who would want a worse world rather than a better one? Truly the way to improve our lives as human beings lies on peer pressure, it is at the core of ways we can make a change for a better, and not more for the

    Read More

  • The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Identity Analysis

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Charlie struggles with apparent mental illness throughout his letters, but he never explicitly addresses this problem. His friends make him realize that he is different and it is okay to be different from everyone else. This change in perspective gives Charlie new opportunities to experience life from a side he was unfamiliar with. Without these new friends, Charlie would have never dared to try on the things he has. His friends have helped him develop from an antisocial wallflower to an adventurous young man who is both brave and loyal. Transitioning shapes how the individual enters into the workforce, live independently and gain some control over their future

    Read More

  • Child Abuse In The Movie

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charlie demonstrates a socially awkward freshman in high school who has always been a wallflower. Soon into his first year of high school, he meets two friends, Sam and Patrick who teach him how to live outside his comfort zone. What nobody knows about Charlie is that he was molested by his Aunt Helen. This caused a major mental damage that lasted throughout Charlie’s life. Thankfully, Patrick and Sam were always there to support Charlie in times that Charlie felt so alone in life with no hope. The movie demonstrates throughout Charlie’s first year in high school that true friends will always be there for one another, that child abuse can cause many mental illnesses, and that family is the number one support system.

    Read More

  • Teenage Themes in The Wave - Morton Rhue

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... instead of following the majority. The issue of peer pressure can relate to teens, as they are in constant pressure to be ‘cool’ or to be in the ‘in’ group. It does not really promote individualism, so people cannot develop their own ideas but rather follow the leader of their group.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: The Perks Of Being A Wallflowers

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because of the parties he attends with his new friends he has tried using some drugs. These new friends help Charlie see things with a positive perspective, and to be confident in himself. When his friends move away, Charlie experience isolation and has a mental crisis that leads him to be internalized in a clinic.

    Read More

  • Struggles of Non-Conformity: Analysis of Chbosky and Salinger's Characters

    1551 Words  | 4 Pages

    The inability to conform in society can lead to unhappiness and the feeling of inequality

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech On Peer Pressure

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teenagers become caught up with following peers, because the decision is made to become involved in experimental activities by choice. On the other hand, peer pressure in teens can allow mature growth in the student, because the individual can them become a leader within an environment in a positive manner. According to kidshealth.org, “Getting to know lots of different people-

    Read More

  • Peer Pressure Among Teens

    362 Words  | 1 Pages

    Children grow up and move into teenage lifestyles, involvement with their peers, and how they look in other peoples eyes start to matter. Their hormones kick in, and they experience rapid changes in their minds, and bodies. They also develop a mind of their own, questioning the adult standards and need for their parental guidance. By trying new values and testing ideas with peers there is less of a chance of being criticized. Even though peer pressure can have positive effects, the most part is the bad part.

    Read More

More about Peer Pressure in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Open Document