I am currently reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Stephen Chbosky does a marvelous job at genuinely capturing a perspective of high school life that is sometimes forgotten or overlooked, being a Wallflower. The format in which Chbosky tackles through this piece of work kept me guessing throughout the book. At exactly whom Charlie is addressing his letters to , but also brings up the question of ” Why does he feel the need to share his story with this person?”.
The use of letters makes it seem a lot like the diary of Charlie. It really helps to give a better insight of Charlie’s life and who he is as a person than a normal style of fiction writing. I feel like this book has a lot of topics that resonate with the public. From entering high school, losing a friend, making new friends, sexual interaction between teens, dating and just normal dysfunctions within the family life are all issues which any teenager in the world can relate to. I am 3/4ths of the way through and I am highly enjoying following the progress and growth of Charlie!
That awkward stage in life where everything is confusing and new. A new crush every week, the confusions of sex and the other gender, growing up and truly finding yourself, those four years of high school really help to create the person you are. Filled with laughter and tears, there was never a dull moment in high school. Feeling all alone or surrounded by friends, ones mood and surroundings seemed to change in an instant.
“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
I feel like all of us go through some of what Charlie experienced. All of us of those moments of doubt, depression, and loneliness. Those times where we feel like no one understands what we are going through. Or why we do what we do. We even have those great times filled with laughter and happiness. Those that create wonderful memories that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Even like Charlie, we all have/ had that teacher who cares too much, but we appreciate them for everything they did. How they helped guide us and figure out life one step at a time. So even though all our problems differ, I really fell like Chbosky captured the true essence of the teenage life. Joy, self-doubt, angst, love, friendship and the feeling of that moment where we all really do feel INFINITE!!!
