A wallflower is defined as a “person who is shy or unpopular and who stands or sits apart from other people” by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Charlie, the main character, is termed a “wallflower” in Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The novel portrays the transition from middle school to high school. But for Charlie, there are underlying issues that many high school students don’t have to face. He greatly struggles with the transition into high school, but later meets friends who lead him to experiment with all of the elements of high school life such as social life, football games, and even drugs. Charlie begins to fall in love with his friend Sam which leads to a progression of drama as well as a realization of the domestic
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Charlie, who experiences the effects of abuse, either directly or indirectly, is affected in his psychological development. Kathleen Baird, an expert on domestic abuse and midwifery states, “Domestic violence is usually thought of as physical violence against, or an assault on, a woman. This is because a physical assault is the most visible form of domestic violence. In reality, domestic abuse can and does include several forms of abuse including sexual, emotional and psychologically abusive behaviors” (Baird 18). Baird defines continues to define domestic violence as something that can affect everybody, and it’s a multileveled issue in today’s society. While many people believe that domestic abuse is just physical, it is obviously explained as having many levels of behaviors as Baird offers. Perks of Being a Wallflower offers examples of each of the behaviors Baird references. Physical abusive behaviors are exemplified in the particular scene between Charlie and his sister, “And he wound up and hit her hard across the face. I mean hard. I just froze because I couldn’t believe he did it” (Chbosky 11). This particular section where Charlie’s sister’s boyfriend hits her is one of the few directly witnessed scenes of physical abuse described within the novel by …show more content…
In Charlie’s case, internalizing his emotions leads to deep-seated depression as well as his wallflower personality. He is too busy examining the world and understanding everyone else’s emotions, while not explaining or feeling any of his own, in order to participate in the world. Bob is the first person to coin Charlie as a “wallflower”, outlining the description of his personality perfectly. He states, “You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand” (Chbosky 37). This quote describes the way Charlie’s wallflower personality shapes the way he reacts to the world, creating a deep connection with all of the people he shares secrets with, but pushing him farther into the background of life. In an article discussing the effects of child abuse and exposure of domestic violence by Moylan et al. it is claimed, “teens that were abused as children are more likely to experience depression and other internalizing problems” (Moylan et al. 54). The article goes on to discuss how domestic violence can lead to internalization of emotions, which can later lead to depression, directly outlining the progression of
Charlie, who experiences the effects of abuse, either directly or indirectly, is affected in his psychological development. Kathleen Baird, an expert on domestic abuse and midwifery states, “Domestic violence is usually thought of as physical violence against, or an assault on, a woman. This is because a physical assault is the most visible form of domestic violence. In reality, domestic abuse can and does include several forms of abuse including sexual, emotional and psychologically abusive behaviors” (Baird 18). Baird defines continues to define domestic violence as something that can affect everybody, and it’s a multileveled issue in today’s society. While many people believe that domestic abuse is just physical, it is obviously explained as having many levels of behaviors as Baird offers. Perks of Being a Wallflower offers examples of each of the behaviors Baird references. Physical abusive behaviors are exemplified in the particular scene between Charlie and his sister, “And he wound up and hit her hard across the face. I mean hard. I just froze because I couldn’t believe he did it” (Chbosky 11). This particular section where Charlie’s sister’s boyfriend hits her is one of the few directly witnessed scenes of physical abuse described within the novel by …show more content…
In Charlie’s case, internalizing his emotions leads to deep-seated depression as well as his wallflower personality. He is too busy examining the world and understanding everyone else’s emotions, while not explaining or feeling any of his own, in order to participate in the world. Bob is the first person to coin Charlie as a “wallflower”, outlining the description of his personality perfectly. He states, “You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand” (Chbosky 37). This quote describes the way Charlie’s wallflower personality shapes the way he reacts to the world, creating a deep connection with all of the people he shares secrets with, but pushing him farther into the background of life. In an article discussing the effects of child abuse and exposure of domestic violence by Moylan et al. it is claimed, “teens that were abused as children are more likely to experience depression and other internalizing problems” (Moylan et al. 54). The article goes on to discuss how domestic violence can lead to internalization of emotions, which can later lead to depression, directly outlining the progression of