The Author

Stephen January 25, Chbosky 1970 in was born on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an American novelist and he was the one who wrote the New York Times bestselling The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 1999 and did the

screenwriting and directing of its film version in 2011, which won the 2013

Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature, Choice as well for as the 2013 People's Movie.

Award

Best

Dramatic

Whats very interesting about the book is its similarity to the life of Chbosky

except in his high school years.

At their (Charlies family) house

where the notation of problems at home is being observed and handled properly by the members of the family

At the bleachers

where people stand and cheer during football games where Charlie met Sam and became friends with them (Patrick and Sam)

At the hallways where people get to judge others o from the details of how you decorate your locker up to the moment of how you walk through the hallways

At the nutrition center

where you all students gather during lunch breaks which suggests a place where you see people from lower or higher years and hear a lot of rumors about them

At the parties where Charlies innocence started to fade

At the tunnel
where Sam, Patrick and Charlie felt very infinite as they go through the tunnel while Sam and Charlie were able to stand at the back of Sams pickup truck

The Main Characters

The Main Characters

The Main Characters

The Main Characters

THE MINOR CHARACTERS

THE MINOR CHARACTERS

THE MINOR CHARACTERS

THE MINOR CHARACTERS

THE MINOR CHARACTERS Charlies brother

the eldest child in the family
sporty and likes doing a lot of guys stuffs famous football player (He spent a lot of time fixing his Camaro, then left for college and played football fort Penn State)

Charlies
very smart

Sister

very pretty and mean to boys

(as Charlie mentioned that he gets straight As in class just like her sister) the middle child in the family She cried a lot when her first boyfriend started dating another girl, but she eventually had another boyfriend whom Charlie described in one of his letters as the one who has very nice brown hair and wears it long with a ponytail. She didnt treat Charlie well like shes always mad at him. She even called him a pervert and a creep. But, they eventually became closer at the latter part of the story when she committed abortion because Charlie was with where at that time.

THE MINOR CHARACTERS

Charlies Mom
quiet and very beautiful cries a lot when they watch TV programs sister of Aunt Helen together with her sister, they experienced abuse by their grandfather (this may be the reason behind his mom marrying his dad because his mom knows that his dad wont abuse her since he also experienced abuse)

Charlies dad
hardworking and honest didnt like to see him weak by the people around him, especially his family; so he cried secretly when they were watching an episode of M A S H, but Charlie caught him crying at the kitchen during TV commercials and kept it as their secret. I think thats the kind of thinking that every Dad in the world has and that is not to cry because that will only show how weak you could be and how you couldnt be the man of the house because we all know that as a father, you should be the one whos strong enough to protect your family.

THE MINOR CHARACTERS

Aunt Helen the sister of Charlies mom spent the rest of her days at their (Charlies family) house died in a car accident (when she was about to pick up her gift for Charlie) Charlie described her in one of his letters as his favorite person in the world molested Charlie when he was younger

PLOT

PLOT
EXPOSITION
The story started by flashbacks of Charlies past. He wrote letters to a trusted anonymous person because he thought that this might prevent him from having the same fate that his friend, Michael, had due to problems at home. So, Charlie talked about his family and I think he knows that there was something wrong that he has to figure out. He also talked about his old friends in the middle school who turned to be so different when they got into high school. He met a lot of different people who helped him become mature.

PLOT
RISING ACTION
The rising actions hit when Charlie gets flashbacks of memories that he and his Aunt Helen had. It raises the questions what happened that night before Aunty Helen died?, what does it has to do with him being a wallflower?, and many more. His past hinders him from becoming a better person in the present and for the future.

CLIMAX
This was when Charlie had a clearer visualization of the memories he had with Aunty Helen. When Sam was touching him when they kissed and became so intimate to each other, Charlie was reminded about how his Aunty Helen did the same touch to him and he found out that his Aunty Helen molested him when he was younger.

PLOT
FALLING ACTION
Charlie survived when he was put into coma after he committed suicide. He was advised by his doctor on how to cope up with the stress that he had.

RESOLUTION
He was able to understand his past that made him confident enough to face his future and mind his present.
And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.

CONFLICT
Internal conflict (man vs himself)
Charlie had a struggle about his attitude of being a wallflower, which resulted from the molest that he experienced in the past with Aunty Helen
There is fear of expressing himself to others so he preferred to express what he feels through letters and mix tapes.

Similarly, his mom was also a victim of abuse which made Charlie assumed that if his mom was not abused, she wouldnt be as quiet as she is.

themes

themes
1. INDEPENDENCE
Charlie has to get out of his box in order to fit in but he didnt know what to do about it. So, there was Bill to help him. He gave Charlie a lot of books to read to learn from it. Also, there were his best friends, Sam and Patrick, who exposed him to parties, music, etc.

themes
2. PASSIVITY VS. ACTION
Bill to Charlie: "It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life." Sam to Charlie: "Its great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what

about when someone doesnt need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that.

Charlie couldnt act on his feelings. But, he was able to overcome it when he punched Brads friends to protect Patrick from their violence. Moreover, he was able to decide to act sexually with Sam that sparks off the anxiety attack which leads him to his realization of what do those memories of him and Aunt Helen mean.
Source: Uddin, Z. (N.D). Major Themes and Symbols. Retrieved from http://www.hyperink.com/Major-Themes-And-Symbols-b1285a14

themes
3. FRIENDSHIP
Charlies first love was Sam but he couldnt pursue his feelings for her because he knows that things might be different since theyre good friends and Sam didnt want to be like the way people see her. Charlie was really a good friend to everyone, especially to Patrick during his sorrowful days on Brad, except when he hurt Mary Elizabeths feelings the night that Patrick dared him to kiss the prettiest girl in that room. Everyone expected Charlie to kiss Mary Elizabeth since shes his girlfriend that time but he kissed Sam instead because Charlie thought that he would lie to everyone if hell kiss Mary Elizabeth. (This sounded really funny to me). But, eventually, they were able to forgive Charlie and get the friendship back.

themes
4. FAMILY
Charlie knew the reason behind Michael committing suicide and that was problems at home. Then, Charlie took a view of his home. I think he was afraid that he might experience the same fate of Michael. He believed that he couldve prevented Michaels death if he was there for Michael; so, he decided to have someone there for him. Thats why he wrote letters to someone whose name was never mentioned in the book and I couldnt still figure out who was that person. Eventually, Charlie was able to have a harmonious relationship with his brother and his sister.