Perks Of Being A Wallflower

2 Pages 574 Words

In the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie, the main character, who lives in Western Pennsylvania in the early nineties, writes a series of letters to a person that he never reveals. He does not know the person, and does not let the person know who he is.
Charlie is a freshman and while he is not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. He is a wallflower. He is shy, thoughtful, and intelligent beyond his years. Charlie doesn’t have many friends; in fact, his only friend Michael killed himself during junior high school. He is left with his mom and dad who do not pay much attention to him, his older brother; a star on the football team, his sister; one of the most popular girls in school, and the only person who ever made him feel special, his Aunt Helen. Charlie’s Aunt Helen died as well and Charlie was very close to her. He was crushed. Charlie loved his family a lot, but he needed something more in life, something normal and Charlie was by no means normal.
Charlie also encounters many of the same struggles that most kids face in high school. Some of these struggles are how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, and experimenting with drugs. There really is not a main story line. It skips around to different situations at different times in his life.
Charlie becomes friends with seniors Patrick and his sister Sam. They are his only friends and they know this and try to do the best to introduce him to new things and get involved in activities. Patrick is out-going and hilarious. Most of the popular kids in school admire him. His nick-name is “Nothing.” Sam is pretty and didn’t have the most “lady-like” reputation in school. She has brown hair and “very very pretty green eyes. The kind of green that doesn’t make a big deal about itself.” – p.19. From the moment that Charlie first meets Sam he falls ...