Final thoughts

This book was great!  I feel like it gave me a new perspective on people who are suffering with depression and addiction.  I am not always around those who are suffering, so I was not able to understand.  Charlie let me into his brain and I could begin to understand his struggles and problems.  Though there were some dark moments for Charlie, he never lost his passion for life or his love for his families and friends.  I think that people who suffer from addiction are prone to have the stereotype that they do not care about their loved ones and are selfish because they are not thinking about the consequences of their actions.  But Charlie made me realize that he was still compassionate for the people around him and that depression and suffering cannot mask love and faith.  My favorite quote is, " And we went into the tunnel, I didn't hold up my arms like I was flying.  I just let the wind rush over my face.  And I started crying and smiling at the same time.  Because I could't help feeling just how much I loved my aunt Helen for buying me two presents.  And how much I wanted the present I bought for my mom for my birthday to be really special.  And how much I wanted my sister and brother and Sam and Patrick and everyone else to be happy" (213).   I am thankful that this book is set up like the reader is set up in Charlie's mind because it gave me a new perspective on addiction and depression.

  

Overall of the book

Tbh, I loved this book unlike most books I read. Being told from Charlie's point of view really increased my understanding and interest to what was going on. Also, I loved learning about a (somewhat outcast's) high school life in the late 1900s. The one negative comment I would say is that it started so many new possible things that could have been written about in a continuation or sequel. The things he mentioned (such as his college life) would have been really interesting to read about for me. Overall though I really liked it!

"Dear friend"

Aahh, kinda annoyed/in shock that we never found out who the friend was! After Charlie's little direct message to the friend at the very end, any ideas on who it was? I totally thought we would have specifically known who it was.

I was so surprised when I read the part about Brad's father beating him when he found out about his boyfriend. I don't know why it surprised me so much. It just seems so extreme! But this book was witten in 1999, so was that behavior like kind of typical? Or was it an extreme?

Reading #4 - Awhhhhh

Charlie is like the cutest person and he makes me so emotional. I feel like one of the things I love the most about him is that he wants the best for other people and accommodates to their needs. For example, when he stood up for Patrick at the fight during lunch (151). And towards the end, (of this reading) when he was saying how everyone was happy at the party and kissing and celebrating, even though he was alone in the corner next to the CD player with champagne, he was still happy they were happy (171). That's not always the easiest thing to do a lot of the time! I <3 Charlie.

(OMG I couldn't agree more!! Charlie is just so selfless and has the most interesting perspective and it is so sad that he is always so quiet because he has so much to contribute. If he had had a more outgoing personality then I think he could have easily been popular and the life of the party (Cassidy))

Adolescent themes

I love how the author covers all the bases of teenage problems in the story.  He emphasizes sexuality with Brad and Patrick's relationship.  He also talks about the consequences of exploring sexuality, such as when Brad's father beat him or when Brad screams "faggot" (146).  Drugs are referenced multiple times when Charlie becomes addicted to pot or when he tries LSD (146, 100).  Charlie also becomes heavily reliant on alcohol and cigarettes as the book progresses.  Sex is also an underlying message and Charlie jumps into sex too quickly with Mary Elizabeth and then too slowly with Sam (130, 202).  Depression is also intertwined in each page and Charlie continually reaches a dark place where he cannot control what he is thinking.  Each theme is dark and in uncharted territory for Charlie, but he makes the accidents and mistakes that teens are prone to more relatable.  



I do not know how to comment so I am just going to add on down here. Adding to the idea of sexuality struggles in adolescents, I am confused as to what what going on inside Charlies head when he kisses Patrick in the car. Charlie has not shown any other interest in men prior to that point. I think this action just shows clearly how lonely and desperate he is for human attention and affection that he would take whatever form of affection he could get. (CR)

How does no one notice Charlie's bad habits?

I was wondering about Charlie's parents.  They know they he needed help from a psychiatrist and the mom seems to look after Charlie extra closely because he is mentally unstable.  However, none of his family suspects that his new friends are a bad influence.  He buys pot with his Easter money!!! That should be a give away that Charlie is going down a dark path (139).   I understand that Charlie's dad smokes and his smell might mask the smell of Charlie's smoking, but it does not cover the drinking.  Charlie is an active drinker, especially with Patrick, but his parents do not notice.  They also do not notice Patrick and Charlie kissing in their drive way.  Charlie does drugs, smokes, and drinks but no one is noticing him slipping into addiction.  

Reds

So, this is Mary Elizabeth's favorite movie, Reds, cover. It was set in 1981 and I didn't have 3 hours and 20 minutes to watch it cause who has that time but anyway, it's a drama/romance movie that is more complicated as the movie goes on between reality and the main character Reed's ideals. It is based on a true story of Reed, an American Journalist during World War I. The reviews definitely tell how it was a touching story of one basically in overall want/need of confidence and motivation. I wonder if that is why Mary Elizabeth is the way she is described with Charlie, constant talking and all about her life. Sam also says that she has low self-esteem, so I think the background in this movie would be useful to know and I think it contributes to Mary's personality.

Weather

Ok, so throwing it back to Part 2 I noticed that on November 15,1991, Charlie writes, "It's starting to get cold and frosty here" (50). I wish it was starting to get cold and frost here in Waterford, Connecticut! It's December! Slow effects of global warming???

Also, where does this book take place?

Unsure

Do you guys think that Charlie went on these dates with Mary Elizabeth just to be nice? Maybe he likes it a bit, but I don't think he likes her like that. Although, he can't bring himself to say "no" to when they were alone in her basement... Maybe it's because he is too soft spoken to stand up for himself and does not want to be rude. Charlie's in love with Sam though.

I think Charlie should learn to say what he is feeling. Don't hide it from Mary Elizabeth if he really doesn't like her. He's just going to lead her on, and that would end badly for both of them.

I feel like he went on the dates with her to try to cope with his feelings for Sam. Clearly is not the best at coping with his feelings and I think he was just trying to fill the gap that Sam left

Kinda off track, just a curiosity question (reading part 3)

So as we all know, they smoke a lottttttt. However, I found it strange that when Charlie was in Bill's room he said "he urged me to quit smoking because of the health risk" (106). What was the status quo with smoking in the early 1990s??

Here is one of Charlie's favorite songs...

This is one of Charlie's favorite songs from one of the mix tapes he made for Patrick.  He loved the song so much that he put it on the CD twice!  It's somber tone reminds me of Charlie battling depression through the book.  I thought it was helpful to  listen to this song to look at Charlie from a different perspective (61-62).

Family

I just love how Charlie loves his Aunt Helen. She was one of the few who got Charlie two presents: one for his birthday on December 24th and one for Christmas on the 25th. It's the little things that counts. Just looking on the bright side of things.

Guilt - AlainaM

I think guilt is playing a huge role in this book, as many feel guilty for actions which then lead to depression. The major example of guilt that I thought was Charlie's blaming of himself for his aunt's' death. When Charlie writes "And I know that my aunt Helen would still be alive today if she just bought me one present like everybody else. She would be alive if I were born on a day that didn't snow. I would do anything to make this go away" (92). First off, I can't even envision what it would be life to have that guilt on himself, even if it may not be true. I do sometimes feel like "would that have happened if I weren't here or didn't need something?" In this aspect, I can somewhat relate to the feeling but not as extreme as someone's death being somewhat in his hands. Secondly, this must be a pivotal reason behind his depression and explains why he was so sad on his birthday (before he mentioned this part). Just unimaginable to me.

The title Part 2 - AlainaM

So far in both readings due, I have noticed that there is a lot of depression within Charlie's family and himself. Charlie, a wallflower, has been through so many negative experiences in his life (his birthday being his aunt's death as a main one) and not many positive ones. While the title is "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" I have not really noticed or read about any perks.. Is that just me or do you guys have any different view on the title? Or, do we think (hopefully) that it will become a more positive outlook in the second half?

Quotes in Part 1

When Charlie is riding in between Sam and Patrick in Sam's pickup and are all listening to an amazing song, and Sam is tapping her hand on the steering wheel and Patrick is dangling his hand outside the car making waves, Charlie says, "I feel infinite" (33). He feels like they were five minutes truly spent because he felt young. They were driving to his first real party, he was sitting between two very nice people in a pickup when it starts to rain (33). It is one of those moments when life seems carefree and wonderful. Everything is going right and time could not be spent in a better way than with people who care about you.
Back in the pickup with Sam and Patrick, Charlie says yet again, "I swear we were infinite" (39). This is the part after homecoming when Sam is standing up in the back of the pickup in just her dress as they go through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and the tape player was playing "Landslide" which gets illuminated throughout the entire tunnel.Then after going through the tunnel, Sam screams a fun scream and they all start laughing. All three are swept into a mush of good feelings. Feelings of being infinitely grand, infinitely there, infinitely perfect.

Emotion: Feeling Ashamed

I've noticed that Charlie feels ashamed a lot. For example, on October 6, 1991, Charlie begins writing to this friend that he feels very ashamed. He has a naughty dream about Sam. Also on October 15, 1991, Charlie writes how when he masturbates he tries not to feel ashamed when he does it. Feeling ashamed of things reveals that Charlie cares about what others think of him. Others opinions matter to him such as Sam's because he cares about her. He really wants her as a friend and does not want to jeopardize this opportunity.

Overview of Part 1

The book starts off as being written to us from Charlie which is a different take than most novels. Charlie seems like a smart yet awkward kid since he is reading sophomore and junior books. Going off of what Emily said earlier, he is extremely open to this kid that he is writing letters to. I'm really curious to know who he is writing to.
I like Charlie. He seems innocent and willing to open up and try new things. For instance, when Bill said he should try to "participate" Charlie begins to open up to Sam and Patrick at the football games. From that point on, Charlie went to a party with them and homecoming. He finds some friends he can hang out with. These friends are helping Charlie cope with his life from drugs to socialization and family relations problems.
At the very end of Part 1, just before Sam, Patrick, and Charlie were leaving the party, Patrick identifies Charlie as a wallflower. He explains to Charlie that "You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand" (37). This quote is the basis of the entire novel. It captures Charlie's life in one word, wallflower. That is who Charlie is.That is what he acts like and resembles. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition says that a "wallflower" is a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains on the sidelines of a social activity (as a dance). In a way, Charlie is a wallflower because he is shy and unpopular at social events, but there is a more deeper meaning here than just being shy and reserved as social events. Charlie's personality can be summed up as shy and reserved which extends throughout the novel and not just at social events like a dance. For this reason, I like Patrick's definition of a wallflower better. For example, when he sees his dad crying, he just looks at him astonished (17). He understands something is wrong, and when Charlie's dad trusts Charlie with a secret he understands and does not tell anyone.

Abusive relationships- EmilyC

I think the overarching problem in this book is the cycle of abusive relationships.  Charlie's sister was slapped by her boyfriend,  yet she puts on the persona of being a strong feminist (82).  She strongly condemns sororities, fraternities, and cheerleading, yet she stays with her abusive boyfriend.  Although we do not know much about Aunt Helen, we know she was in many abusive relationships and that Aunt Helen and Charlie's mom were hit by their father (90).  Charlie's father, grandmother, and aunt were abused by Charlie's  grandmother's new husband (86).  Charlie then describes the cycle of abusive relationships his family goes through.  His grandmother was abused by her husband and then raised a daughter who was abused by her spouse.  I think this cycle shapes Charlie and makes him an innocent and docile teenager. He is always cautious of his friend's feelings, especially Sam's feelings.  I hope that Charlie learns that there are healthy relationships and that he never makes the mistakes that his family made.

Charlie's family -AlainaM

In the first part we learned a good amount of Charlie's family, but I think it's extremely important how her sister gets slapped by her "boyfriend." I think it has potential to be a big problem in the future and play a role in splitting their family apart, even more (as they don't have the strongest bond). Right now, at the start, it already has brought the family problems (25-27). And when Charlie was writing the letter about the homecoming dance, he said how the sister was dancing with the same guy even though her parents thought she was with the guy who picked her up (38). All of Charlie's sister actions seem to me like they will cause problems in the future.

Their society vs ours -AlainaM

I thought this part of the book was really interesting and cool to see how it relates to our society, just in an older time, and how the characters are also teenagers in high school. However, what stood out to me as was when Charlie, Patrick and Sam went to Bob's party. Back then, in the 1990's when this took place, the party moods were different than now-a-days in my opinion. At their party, they were all welcoming to Charlie, which I think is awesome and what I wish it was like still. They all respected and took him in and said "To Charlie" (38). However, an aspect that is the same now-a-days is that people pressure others into doing things they don't know better than or don't want to, as Charlie was given a pot brownie without knowing any better (33). Overall, while reading, I just thought it was interesting reading about the society (parties) then and thinking about the society (parties) now.

I also noticed this difference just in the way people treated each other in social situations in the 90s. Today, if there is a party and a person doesn't belong they will be ignore. But in Charlies case, they didn't occur that he didn't really fit in or that he wasn't invited. As long as he made an effort and was interested in doing the same ting as everyone else, they accepted him for a couple hours. And clearly based off other aspects of teenage culture back then, it was not like the people back then were just less judgmental and nicer over all, they just focused their hate on other topics such as homosexuals (Patrick and Brad). (CR)

Charlie's family- EmilyC

I am confused with Charlie’s family dynamic.  The first few letters made me think that Charlie’s dad was abusive and cruel.  He constantly referred to his mom and wrote, “and my mom was quiet” (6,12).  I thought she was quiet because she was fearful of her husband.  Later, we find out that Charlie’s dad has a soft and kind heart, especially when he watched the season finale of M*A*S*H and cried.  Charlie addresses his dad and says that that he was only slapped once and his dad pleaded for forgiveness.  I am still confused why the mom allows the dad to boss her around if he is not abusive.  Aside from being unusually quiet, the dad orders her to do things like take care of Charlie and make a sandwich.  I hope Charlie addresses his parent's relationship soon.  

First impressions- EmilyC

So far, I love this book!  The letters add to Charlie's unique perspective and inner thoughts on life and high school.  He is NOT self conscious and does not care about what others think.  Some of the things he says are graphic, such as talking about and drugs, sex, and masturbation openly.  He also does not care about protecting the confidentiality of the people he is telling stories about.  Although I do not know who these letters are being sent to, many people could get into serious trouble if these stories are exposed.  (My prediction is that these letters are going to the girl who was raped in front of Charlie in his bedroom)  His sister's abusive boyfriend could have gotten into serious trouble before he was exposed by Charlie (25), Bob could get into trouble for using drugs and offering someone a pot brownie in disguise (34) , and "Nothing" and Sam could get into trouble for driving while standing (38).

Perks of Being a Wallflower trailer