In an ideal world everything would be accomplished the first time around. Additional attempts would not be required if things did not go wrong, but unfortunately that is not how life works. Sometimes we falter and face hurdles along the way. Sometimes others are responsible for the troubles we face. There are a plethora of things that could go wrong but only one needs to to stop us in our tracks. Charlie, the protagonist of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is no exception to this statement. Throughout his life, Charlie struggles to understand his own place in society and enter its symbolic order. Due to poor familial interactions, lack of a paternal signifier, and a warped imaginary order, Charlie’s initial entrance
…show more content…
Earlier in the novel, Charlie mentioned “I wanted the angel to come down and show us how Uncle Billy’s life had meaning” (Chbosky 84). He wanted to know how an unimportant person such as Uncle Billy had significance. In a sense, Charlie was reflecting on his own life and wondering what he as a “wallflower” could do in society. After his re-entrance into the imaginary and symbolic order in high school, he learns of his own subjectivity. Through language, his friends and peers teach him about the culture and what is expected of him. Through a mixture of lack and desire, he teaches himself how to handle different situations in his own unique way. Despite his growth, he still holds on to some vestigial characteristics, in particular crying, from his first entrance into the symbolic and imaginary order. Charlie is more emotional and sensitive than what is expected from a male figure but he understands that everyone is different, and because of his particular circumstances while growing up, it’s ok to create his own identity. Charlie’s admission into and through the symbolic order is different from how Lacan outlines it. Nonetheless Charlie still reaches his destination and fully embodies the symbolic order with his own personal
Earlier in the novel, Charlie mentioned “I wanted the angel to come down and show us how Uncle Billy’s life had meaning” (Chbosky 84). He wanted to know how an unimportant person such as Uncle Billy had significance. In a sense, Charlie was reflecting on his own life and wondering what he as a “wallflower” could do in society. After his re-entrance into the imaginary and symbolic order in high school, he learns of his own subjectivity. Through language, his friends and peers teach him about the culture and what is expected of him. Through a mixture of lack and desire, he teaches himself how to handle different situations in his own unique way. Despite his growth, he still holds on to some vestigial characteristics, in particular crying, from his first entrance into the symbolic and imaginary order. Charlie is more emotional and sensitive than what is expected from a male figure but he understands that everyone is different, and because of his particular circumstances while growing up, it’s ok to create his own identity. Charlie’s admission into and through the symbolic order is different from how Lacan outlines it. Nonetheless Charlie still reaches his destination and fully embodies the symbolic order with his own personal