Book ResponseGenre: Fiction, Young adult literature, Epistolary novel
Main Characters: Charlie, Sam, Patrick and Mary-Elizabeth What did I like/dislike about each character? Charlie: I love that Charlie listens to everyone and is very honest. I love that he is very caring towards not only Sam, but also all of his friends by getting them thoughtful presents and just being there for them when they need it. I dislike the fact that he can’t speak up for himself when it comes to Mary-Elizabeth for example when she asks him if he likes her and Charlie says yes when he really doesn’t. Sam: I love that Sam is very understanding and loyal. She always knows what to say to Charlie. I don’t dislike anything about Sam, as she is very nice and caring. Patrick: I love how confident and funny Patrick is and I love that he is very accepting towards Charlie. Mary-Elizabeth: I love that Mary-Elizabeth is the only person who is Buddha and isn’t trying to ‘fit in’ with everyone by just doing her own thing. I don’t like that Mary-Elizabeth is very controlling and takes Charlie for granted. Brief synopsis of the story Charlie is 15 years old and is coping with the suicide of his only friend, Michael. To lessen the fear and anxiety of starting high school alone, Charlie starts writing letters to a stranger, someone he heard was nice but has never met in person. The Novel The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is made up of these letters. At school, Charlie finds a friend and mentor in his English teacher, Bill. He also overcomes his chronic shyness and approaches a classmate, Patrick, who becomes one of Charlie’s closest friends as well as Patrick’s stepsister Sam. During the course of the school year, Charlie has his first date and his first kiss, he deals with bullies, he experiments with drugs and drinking, and he makes friends, loses them, and gains them back. Charlie has a relatively stable home life. Unfortunately, a disturbing family secret that Charlie has repressed for his entire life surfaces at the end of the school year. Charlie has a severe mental breakdown and ends up hospitalised. Charlie's final letter closes with feelings of hope: getting released from the hospital, forgiving his aunt Helen for what she did to him, finding new friends during sophomore year, and trying his best not to be a wallflower. Charlie hopes to get out of his head and into the real world, participating in life instead of just watching it fly by |
Which Scenes are the most memorable for me? Why?
A memorable scene from the novel The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is when Charlie’s sister, Candace finds out that she is pregnant with ‘pony-tail’ Derek. Charlie catches her crying and after he asked her what was wrong she told him. She told him not to tell anyone, not even Derek, as he got very angry. Candace was planning on telling Derek that it was a false alarm and that she wasn’t really pregnant. She asked Charlie to take her to the Abortion Clinic, Charlie agrees and they go together the next night. I think that this scene is so memorable to me because it is a scene where Charlie and Candace become closer and Candace trusts Charlie after he told his teacher about Derek hitting her. Their parents found out and Candace wasn’t allowed to be with Derek.
What kind of issues/problems are raised in the book?
A big problem that happens in the Novel is Charlie’s feelings for Sam. His feelings aren’t so much the problem; it’s the things he does because of them. For example, when the group was playing ‘truth or dare’ and Patrick dares Charlie to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. When Charlie kisses Sam instead of his girlfriend, Mary-Elizabeth, he is ordered to stay away from the group for a while.
How did the author keep me interested?
The Author of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, keeps me interested in the book as the characters were very relatable and the events that happen in the book were a big part of what made me keep reading.
Did you prefer the book or the film? Why?
Both the movie and the book were fantastic, but I prefer the movie because I generally would rather movies over books. It still went into detail as Charlie still read some of his letters as a ‘voice-over’.
A memorable scene from the novel The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is when Charlie’s sister, Candace finds out that she is pregnant with ‘pony-tail’ Derek. Charlie catches her crying and after he asked her what was wrong she told him. She told him not to tell anyone, not even Derek, as he got very angry. Candace was planning on telling Derek that it was a false alarm and that she wasn’t really pregnant. She asked Charlie to take her to the Abortion Clinic, Charlie agrees and they go together the next night. I think that this scene is so memorable to me because it is a scene where Charlie and Candace become closer and Candace trusts Charlie after he told his teacher about Derek hitting her. Their parents found out and Candace wasn’t allowed to be with Derek.
What kind of issues/problems are raised in the book?
A big problem that happens in the Novel is Charlie’s feelings for Sam. His feelings aren’t so much the problem; it’s the things he does because of them. For example, when the group was playing ‘truth or dare’ and Patrick dares Charlie to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. When Charlie kisses Sam instead of his girlfriend, Mary-Elizabeth, he is ordered to stay away from the group for a while.
How did the author keep me interested?
The Author of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, keeps me interested in the book as the characters were very relatable and the events that happen in the book were a big part of what made me keep reading.
Did you prefer the book or the film? Why?
Both the movie and the book were fantastic, but I prefer the movie because I generally would rather movies over books. It still went into detail as Charlie still read some of his letters as a ‘voice-over’.