The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Analysis

The Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky follows the protagonist and narrator, Charlie, a teenage boy who writes a series of letters to an anonymous recipient. Throughout the book Charlie is confronted with a variety of issues, including teen sexuality, drugs, alcohol and suicide in which are expressed through his letters. Chbosky explores the themes of sexuality, participation and maturity with the use of intertextual references to enhance the chosen themes. The theme of sexuality is enhanced with the references to The Rocky Horror Picture Show as it explores similar ideas. Participation is a problem for Charlie and also for the narrator of The Great Gatsby, Nick as they are constantly observing others and avoiding participation.

By Chobosky referencing The Great Gatsby it allows Charlie to generate an understanding of how a wallflower behaves, as the narrator in The Great Gatsby acts with similar traits and qualities to Charlie. The two narrators Charlie and Nick act as witnesses to ongoing madness around them, both characters quietly listen and watch without drawing attention to themselves. Similarly the two characters find themselves in new situations with new friends that allow them to express themselves and participate more actively. Charlie’s new friends observe and notice his behaviour and term him a wall flower. “He’s a wallflower.” “You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.” Through Charlie’s letters there is a noticeable pattern to when he is actively participating and when he is not. When Charlie participates the occurrence of letters is minimal in comparison to when he is not. “I’m sorry I haven’t written to you in a couple of weeks, but I have been trying to ‘participate’ like Bill said.” Participation is a constant idea raised throughout the novel, which is enhanced and supported by the reference to the Great Gatsby as it explores similar

Throughout the novel Bill, Charlie’s English teacher provides him with a variety of novels too read, interpret and act upon. The novel the Catcher in the Rye was given to Charlie in order to guide his innocent mind and teach him about adolescence and the process of maturing. The Catcher in the Rye is a first person narrative like Perks that follows a schoolboy struggling against death and growing up. The two protagonists are in similar situations in terms of experience, age, thoughts, feelings, loss, death, and that growing up is a challenge. Charlie struggles with knowing his place in the adult world as he thinks “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 could be.” Both The Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are stories about growing up and how past experiences influences the future. By referencing a book with similar themes and messages the understanding Charlie and and the reader receive is improved and