Character Influence in Stephen Chbosky's 'Perks of Being a Wallflower'

Insecurities often trouble young people making high school difficult to manage. There are many new pressures that come with being a teenager and friendships are often the key to surviving high school. At such a young age, most teenagers have not discovered themselves yet and they need the help of others to uncover their true potential. In the coming of age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie searches for his identity and finds it with the help of his friends. Charlies good friend Sam, physically and mentally influences Charlie to becomes a more mature and confident person when she teaches him how to navigate relationships and helps him rediscover his past.

Sam physically exposes Charlie to new experiences that change him into a more confident person. At the start of the school year Charlie is an anti-social and introverted freshman who is reluctant and unsure of himself. He enters high school with no friends, but soon becomes friends with a small group of seniors, most importantly Sam, that influence him to become a stronger individual. Sam introduces him to many new things that he never would have experienced before. For example, drugs, alcohol, love, sexuality, parties and relationships change Charlie into an more confident person by breaking him out if his comfort zone. Sam plays a huge role in his development from being easily influenced to making decisions for himself. Sam motivates him to explore a new side of life and he realizes that life needs to be lived and not watched. Charlie grows from being someone who sits by and watches life to a person who fully participates in life. Charlie begins to develop and mature as his character is faced with unfamiliar situations that take him out of his s...

... middle of paper ...

... reason that Charlie is the way he is. Once he was in touch with his feelings, he can understand and progress in his life. The novel ends with Charlie forgiving his Aunt Helen, and finding the strength to move on with his life.

Sam guides Charlie is the right direction for him to become a more outgoing and courageous person by teaching him to take risks and recover what happened to him as a child. Without Sam, Charlie would be a completely different person and would probably still be hurting from an internal pain that he is unaware of. In life peers can impact others life and personality by physically taking them to new places and having them try new things. On the other hand, people can effect others mentally by helping them understand their past in order to move forward. Peoples influence on others often help to shape their personality and discover their identity.