Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Challenged)

Bibliography

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Gallery, 1999. Print.

Summary

“He’s a wallflower.”

“You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.” 

In Stephen Chbosky’s novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main character Charlie is an awkward and intelligent freshman in high school and is constantly thinking about situations and people, usually to the point of over thinking everything. He finally connects with two older students, Sam and Patrick, who show him the reality of life, and opens his eyes to how people view themselves and those around them. Through Charlie’s experiences with Sam and Patrick, Charlie eventually makes a startling discovery about himself that explains much of why he does what he does and what makes him the person he is.

Critical Analysis

The Perks of Being a Wallflower takes place in the early 1990’s and features characters that are in high school as they try to reconcile past experiences with what their futures will be. Chbosky uses many controversial issues, such as drug use, gay relationships, abortion, molestation, and abuse to deliver a message that gives humanness and understanding to all people. The story is told through a series of letters that Charlie writes to a mystery person, and shows how he tries to understand other people, while still trying to figure himself out. Ultimately, the reader connects to the story, and accepts the truth of what Charlie learns, in that “we accept the love we think we deserve.”    

Strengths and Weaknesses

It is easy to see why The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a challenged book, due to the actions in the story, like abortion, drug use, gay relationships, and abuse. This is both the strength and the weakness of the book. When the book is looked at overall, it tells a powerful story with a message of understanding and acceptance, and how people cope with events in their lives. Even though most people can relate to the characters in the book in some way, some of the events that happen will have no context for most students, like abortion or molestation. Many of the controversial events may detract some readers from really grasping the meaning of the book.