The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author	Stephen Chbosky
Language	English
Genre	Young adult novel/Epistolatory novel
Publisher	MTV Books/Pocket Books
Publication date	1 February, 1999
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Paperback) and Audiobook
Pages	256 pp (first edition paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-671-02734-4 (first edition paperback)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an epistolary novel written in the 1990s by American novelist Stephen Chbosky. The novel was published on February 1, 1999 by MTV. The story takes the form of a series of letters to an anonymous friend written by the narrator, a teenager who calls himself Charlie (his real name is never mentioned).

The story explores topics such as introversion, teenage sexuality (including homosexuality) and the awkward times of adolescence. The book also touches strongly on drug use and Charlie's experiences with this. As the story progresses, various works of literature and film are referenced and their meanings discussed.

The story takes place during the 1991-1992 school year, when Charlie is a high school freshman. Charlie is the wallflower of the novel. He is an unconventional thinker, and as the story begins he is shy and unpopular.

Chbosky names J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye as an inspiration, and he pays homage to Salinger's work by naming it as one of Charlie's mother's favorite books. Chbosky wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower in his spare time while writing a screenplay for Columbia Pictures.

Characters

Charlie - The main character of the novel. He is an intelligent, caring, and observant high school freshman. This book is about his coming of age and his transformation from a person that simply observes to one that participates.

Patrick - A high school senior that befriends Charlie and becomes one of his best friends.

Sam - Patrick's step-sister and also a senior in high school. Charlie is deeply in love with Sam and considers her his best friend. Sam gives Charlie his first kiss, saying that she wanted it to come from someone who loved him.

Mary Elizabeth - Sam's good friend, a very outspoken senior that publishes a fanzine called "Punk Rocky." She dates Charlie, but Charlie's heart is not in it because of his love for Sam.

Bill - Charlie's English teacher. He pushes Charlie to participate rather than observe and gives him books to read. Charlie confides in him when his sister is hit by her boyfriend. He takes a special interest in Charlie and is one of the few who see how special and intelligent Charlie is, telling him so as they part for summer vacation.

Brad - Patrick's boyfriend, the closeted quarterback of the high school football team. Charlie meets him at a party, the only place where Brad feels comfortable being with Patrick.

Charlie's sister - A popular, attractive, and intelligent girl whose feelings for Charlie vary throughout the book. She gets herself into a lot of trouble with boys, and Charlie helps her out.

Charlie's brother - Attends college on a football scholarship. He is very talented and calm.

Charlie's father - A stern man who had a tough upbringing but genuinely loves his kids and wants what is best for them. Because of the abuse he suffered as a child, he has promised himself that he will never hit his children.

Charlie's mother - A quiet woman who was beaten by her father when she was young. She justifies this by stating that he wanted her to have an education and a better life than he did; beating her up was his way of enforcing that.

Aunt Helen - The sister of Charlie's mother, killed in a car accident. As a child she was abused by a family friend. For the last few years of her life she lived with Charlie's family, and he later realizes that she sexually abused him.

Michael - Charlie's friend from middle school who committed suicide because of "problems at home" Charlie misses him greatly and has had trouble dealing with his death. He gave Charlie a poem that is printed in the book.

Susan - A girl that was friends with Charlie when Michael was still living. Later, as she physically matures and becomes more attractive, she does not pay any attention to Charlie and at times actively ignores him.

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Charlie's lists

In the novel, Charlie's teacher Bill assigns him various books to read. Charlie describes them all as his favorites.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• The Stranger by Albert Camus
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

The novel references these films:

• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• The Graduate
• Harold and Maude
• My Life as a Dog
• Dead Poets Society
• The Unbelievable Truth
• A Perfect Paradise
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Reds

The novel references these songs:

• "Asleep" by The Smiths
• "Vapour Trail" by Ride
• "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel
• "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum
• "Time of No Reply" by Nick Drake
• "Dear Prudence" by The Beatles
• "Gypsy" by Suzanne Vega
• "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues
• "Daydream" by The Smashing Pumpkins
• "Dusk" by Genesis
• "MLK" by U2
• "Blackbird" by The Beatles
• "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
• "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
• "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. II" by Pink Floyd
• "Something" by The Beatles

See also

Pedophilia and child sexual abuse in fiction