The Perks of Being a Wallflower free essay sample

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ is told in a series of letters that were addressed from the main character, Charlie, to an anonymous reader as an outlet for his fears. Charlie is a freshman in high school and is just starting to learn to accept and identify who he really is. After loosing his best friend to suicide, Charlie is left to experience high school on his own. Throughout this novel, Charlie begins to develop and mature as his character is faced with a handful of unfamiliar situations. Charlie, the main character, does not give much of a visual on the physical appearance of himself or many of the characters in the story. The reader is left to assume and imagine him on their own terms. From the start of the novel it seems that Charlie has a unique way of thinking and acting, and you may find yourself trying to work out what’s ‘wrong’ with him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Perks of Being a Wallflower or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His older sister is a preppy senior, who gets a lot of attention because of her looks. His older brother is a football star who plays football at Penn State. But Charlie, however, is just Charlie. He doesnt get much attention at school, and he isnt that popular. Despite the fact that he comes from a fairly normal family, he still feels displaced when everything outside is normal, which is a factor that draws the reader to him. Charlie begins his freshman year friendless, as a result to his friends’ suicide only a year before. Hes reluctant and unsure of himself and enters the school year with an abundance of struggles and insecurities. Charlie’s thoughtful and emotional approach to his friends and environment grants him a far cry from your usual adolescent teenage boy. Following his meeting with Sam and Patrick, two seniors who become his best friends, try hard to teach Charlie that life should be lived and not watched. Charlie begins to experience more of life, but was always more of the shy understanding type, a ‘wallflower’, â€Å"Its just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life. he has said. Charlie puts all of the things you may think about as you grow up but can’t quite verbalize, into more simple terms, which gives him a particular charm that is easily relatable. Being an introvert myself like Charlie, found it easy to think of Charlie as a friend. I found that we often thought very alike, and think too much sometimes. Compared to Charlie, I as well find it sometimes hard to actively participate in life; Charlie gives a certain outlook onto the whole ‘wallflower’ idea that makes it seem okay. And even though you may feel uninvited and peculiar in life in many ways Charlie’s insight lets you feel positive and worthy of enjoying yourself. In his own words, So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe well never know most of them. But even if we dont have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose wherever we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them No matter how blatant many of his epiphanies are, Charlies small discoveries about his potential and happiness remain true and meaningful. He is one of those characters you wish were real, and in the presence of. Charlie’s character is very lovable; he is honest, real, blunt, and likable. Charlie’s words are wonderfully written and convey a very real and authentic vision, and after awhile you realize you had a lot more in common with him than you thought. One of the good things about Charlie is that he is just a genuinely nice person and teaches you to look and care about people they way he does. He gives a refreshing perspective on routine and normal events while being brutally honest. ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ delivers a memorable main character that sets forth on his high school journey trying to remain sane in the midst of life and feeling out of place, but in fact is just like you and me.