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.