Analysis of The Perks Of Being A WallflowerIf you’re quiet and shy as a child you will break out of your shell.

The jump between middle school and high school is big, new people, new expectations and just starting over can be terrifying.You’re now one step closer to becoming an adult who is both independent but also capable of making connections to other people on your own.But sometimes this step can seem too big, and when your path has many bumps, connecting and fitting in seems miles away.That’s when you become a wallflower – a wallflower is defined as a person who views his everyday life like he or she is a fly on the wall, they observe, listen but don’t try to spark a conversation or socialize. This is the case for Charlie, the protagonist in the novel The perks of being a wallflower Charlie is a teenager, he is still in high school but doesn’t particularly enjoy being there.He is very quiet, introverted some may say, which doesn’t exactly help when you’re living in a world where social status and friends are as important as homework.

Charlie has a lot of anger filled in him and due to the fact that he is almost always quiet, these spurts of anger tends to bottle up inside him.Charlie has had a rough childhood and has experienced things a child should never go through.Growing up is a challenge for Charlie, not only does growing up mean that you need to stand on your own, but it also means finding yourself and with that, it comes to a point of realizing things. As shown in this quote from the novel “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” (The Perks of Being a Wallflower S.

2 L.16-17)Trying to find himself is a struggle for Charlie – life hasn’t always been easy for him and that may be why the road to coming of age is a bumpy one.Sam, Charlie’s best friend killed himself, which could be the reason that he is having a hard time at the beginning of the novel to connect with someone. People in Charlie’s life tend to turn on him.His development from a wallflower to who he is today is slow but it happens. That is particularly due to the fact that Charlie gets his emotions out by writing letters to a stranger where he exposes his secrets and deepest thoughts.

School is Charlie’s haven when a home isn’t. Here he connects to Patrick and Patrick’s stepsister Sam. They become quite the trio, and they help Charlie gather some courage to overcome his shyness.  That clearly shows at the end of the novel where Patrick and Sam have left for college, and even though Charlie is left behind he isn’t afraid of being Charlie anymore.

“Tomorrow, I start my sophomore year of high school. And believe it or not, I’m really not that afraid of going. I’m not sure if I will have the time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to “participate”.

So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they’re not, they will be soon enough.” (The Perks of Being a Wallflower S.213 L.20-26)The perks of being a wallflower is written in a way that makes the reader feel personally involved in Charlie’s life, in every “letter” or chapter Charlie starts off with writing “Dear friend” over time as you get deeper into the book you realize that these letters aren’t for someone special but for himself. That is why the book isn’t typically characterized as a compilation of letters but a diary instead.The language in The perks of being a wallflower is very readable even though its written instead of spoken, often novels tend to be quite difficult to read but then the choice of words in this book is easy for a young reader to relate and understand.

For a young person, this book can tackle issues that almost everyone goes through but doesn’t always talk about. Dilemmas about coming of age like sexuality, friends and individuality.Becoming older is a thing that is scary but also something everyone eventually will have to go through. Some people may seem quick to grow into their shell but that isn’t always going to be the case for each and everyone.

Charlies had a rough life with more than plenty of challenges, but by opening up to someone he learns to tackle these challenges and grow as an individual.He realizes that to grow as an individual does not mean that you need to do it individually. ” When the show was over, we all bowed together, and there was applause everywhere. Patrick even shoved me in front of the rest of the cast to take my own personal bow.

All I could think was how nice it was that everyone applauded for me.” (The Perks of Being a Wallflower S.111 L.12-14)Everybody deserves and needs love, friends and acknowledgement even though they may not realize it.