Coming of age novels quite often deal with Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical theory. Stephen Chbosky’s novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a superlative piece of work which holds remarkable representations of Freud’s theories. When analyzing the novel it may be looked at as being a dream; thus showing latent content and meaning. Also, throughout the novel Charlie uncovers his repressed fears and emotions. Additionally, this idea is clearly demonstrated through how Charlie’s unconscious is represented.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, contains symbols which aid the reader in understanding the true meaning. One of the symbols which Stephen Chbosky effectively used were Charlie’s dreams. One example of …show more content…
In The Perks of Being a Wallflower the reader is constantly witness to Charlie’s repression as a form of self defense; especially with the subject of sex. In the beginning of the novel Charlie observes a situation of sexual harassment, “ ‘Why didn’t you stop them?’ ‘I didn’t know what they were doing’ ” (Stephen Chbosky, 31). In this quote Charlie claims to not understand what the couple were doing in the room, even though he is definitely old enough to comprehend what is going on. Later in the novel the reader learns that this repression and fear of sex began because his Aunt Helen sexually abused him as a child. Throughout the novel Charlie’s other fears and anxieties are also evident. One example of this is when Charlie is faced with his upcoming birthday, “I’m really glad that Christmas and my birthday are soon because that means they will be over soon because I can already feel myself going to a bad place I used to go... But now I’m trying not to think about it too much because that makes it worse.” (Stephen Chbosky, 74). Charlie has this anxiety because his birthday is Christmas eve, and many years ago his Aunt Helen went to get him a present and died in a car accident. Thus, Charlie believes the death of his Aunt Helen is completely his fault. This demonstrates how Charlie has repressed his fears and negative emotions surrounding his birthday. Additionally, it is an example of how Charlie allows those emotions to build up inside of hum, threatening to be released in a dangerous way. Therefore, Charlie is one of the foremost characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower who demonstrates Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, contains symbols which aid the reader in understanding the true meaning. One of the symbols which Stephen Chbosky effectively used were Charlie’s dreams. One example of …show more content…
In The Perks of Being a Wallflower the reader is constantly witness to Charlie’s repression as a form of self defense; especially with the subject of sex. In the beginning of the novel Charlie observes a situation of sexual harassment, “ ‘Why didn’t you stop them?’ ‘I didn’t know what they were doing’ ” (Stephen Chbosky, 31). In this quote Charlie claims to not understand what the couple were doing in the room, even though he is definitely old enough to comprehend what is going on. Later in the novel the reader learns that this repression and fear of sex began because his Aunt Helen sexually abused him as a child. Throughout the novel Charlie’s other fears and anxieties are also evident. One example of this is when Charlie is faced with his upcoming birthday, “I’m really glad that Christmas and my birthday are soon because that means they will be over soon because I can already feel myself going to a bad place I used to go... But now I’m trying not to think about it too much because that makes it worse.” (Stephen Chbosky, 74). Charlie has this anxiety because his birthday is Christmas eve, and many years ago his Aunt Helen went to get him a present and died in a car accident. Thus, Charlie believes the death of his Aunt Helen is completely his fault. This demonstrates how Charlie has repressed his fears and negative emotions surrounding his birthday. Additionally, it is an example of how Charlie allows those emotions to build up inside of hum, threatening to be released in a dangerous way. Therefore, Charlie is one of the foremost characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower who demonstrates Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical