The Perks Of A Wallflower Response Essay

The Perks of a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a captivating novel that follows the transformation of a boy referred to as Charlie throughout his freshman year of high school. During the course of the book Charlie, his sister, and friends fall in and out of relationships. Each one of them is seeking the love and attention of another person, even without directly expressing their emotions. Love is a recurring theme in this book, even though it is shown in different ways. Charlie’s sister didn’t appreciate Charlie in the beginning of the book, but came to love him and trust him as she did when she was younger. During the time Charlie’s sister was involved in an abusive relationship, Charlie unwittingly informed his parents of

“I think Mary Elizabeth is a really smart and pretty person, and I’m glad that she is my first date ever. But after I said yes, and Mary Elizabeth announced it to the group, I wanted Sam to be jealous.” Charlie is involved in this relationship for all the wrong reasons, and cares more about its effect on him rather than him and Mary Elizabeth collectively. Charlie never was absorbed in the conversations Mary Elizabeth and he would engage in, and knew that their relationship wasn’t genuine. When the time came and Charlie was dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room, Charlie kissed Sam instead of Mary Elizabeth. With that simple, powerful action Charlie temporarily spoiled his and Sam’s relationships with Mary Elizabeth. Later, Sam explained to Charlie, “Because I guess Mary Elizabeth really liked me a lot. That made me feel sad because I didn’t know that she liked me that much.” Charlie’s innocence and unintentional harm is portrayed by this quote. Charlie never recognized nor returned the love Mary Elizabeth wanted from him. People are built on the connections and will to love and be loved. All of the character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower strive to find and show this love each in their own unique way. The relationship the character longed for was not what it seemed, and the love they gave was never returned because