Brooke English
Mrs. Maples
AP Psychology
24 July 2017
Perks of Being a Wallflower
It is a rare phenomenon for the honest and unadulterated essence of high school suckage to be captured in a measly 224 pages. Stephen Chbosky undertakes the daunting task of capturing the pure truth and torture endured in high school in his modern masterpiece, Perks of Being a Wallflower. Chbosky mindfully depicts the monarchy and melancholy experienced in the melodrama that is high school by intermingling simplistic yet whimsical images on a realistic level. It zones in on topics many authors fear to touch upon such as drugs and alcohol, sex, abortion, and mental illness. I found myself relating to Charlie, the main character, because I went through many similar struggles in the past, and still, to this day, find myself battling those same hardships. In this raw and relatable coming of age novel, Chbosky shows his grasp on the concepts of psychology amongst teens in Perks of Being a Wallflower. …show more content…
Best Friend Patrick consumes large amounts of alcohol to forget his homosexual troubles and Love Interest Sam abuses drugs to rid her mind of sexual misconduct in the past. Both characters are undeniably confident in their own skin, but their drug abuse shows how even the most self-assured people have insecurities. Despite their hardships, they did not let their troubles destroy them, they let them shape them into the strong people they were. The narratives described in this book demonstrate how our past does not define our future, we do. Although I struggled with depression before, I never let it overpower my love for life. I saw a lot of myself in these two characters because my sophomore year I struggled with similar demons to forget about the pain I felt inside. Once I realized my self-worth, I no longer needed the false comfort of material goods to offer solace, and found counsel in the people around
Mrs. Maples
AP Psychology
24 July 2017
Perks of Being a Wallflower
It is a rare phenomenon for the honest and unadulterated essence of high school suckage to be captured in a measly 224 pages. Stephen Chbosky undertakes the daunting task of capturing the pure truth and torture endured in high school in his modern masterpiece, Perks of Being a Wallflower. Chbosky mindfully depicts the monarchy and melancholy experienced in the melodrama that is high school by intermingling simplistic yet whimsical images on a realistic level. It zones in on topics many authors fear to touch upon such as drugs and alcohol, sex, abortion, and mental illness. I found myself relating to Charlie, the main character, because I went through many similar struggles in the past, and still, to this day, find myself battling those same hardships. In this raw and relatable coming of age novel, Chbosky shows his grasp on the concepts of psychology amongst teens in Perks of Being a Wallflower. …show more content…
Best Friend Patrick consumes large amounts of alcohol to forget his homosexual troubles and Love Interest Sam abuses drugs to rid her mind of sexual misconduct in the past. Both characters are undeniably confident in their own skin, but their drug abuse shows how even the most self-assured people have insecurities. Despite their hardships, they did not let their troubles destroy them, they let them shape them into the strong people they were. The narratives described in this book demonstrate how our past does not define our future, we do. Although I struggled with depression before, I never let it overpower my love for life. I saw a lot of myself in these two characters because my sophomore year I struggled with similar demons to forget about the pain I felt inside. Once I realized my self-worth, I no longer needed the false comfort of material goods to offer solace, and found counsel in the people around