The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Charlie Belonging

In the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie is a freshman in high school struggling with the stages of adolescence. Charlie fails to identify his own social identity and personality because he always wanted to be good enough, to be accepted, and to please. These actions also represent his strengths because Charlie has a big heart, is accepting of others, and is smart. These traits are challenged during his adolescent struggle to find his own sense of belonging and his own niche. Trauma early in his childhood affected his mental and physical well-being. These suppressed emotions force Charlie into a dissociative state when he encounters a stressful or highly emotional situation. His complex friendships and family unit exacerbate these. He is experiencing physical manifestations due to his mental and emotional state (Chbosky, 2012). …show more content…
This stems from his desire to fit in and to please. He does not want to bring extra attention to himself and worry his family members. He is particularly close with his brother Chris, but does not see him often because he is away at college. His sister Candace is supportive of Charlie at home, but not at school. She does not allow Charlie to sit with her and her Environmental Club friends at school, so he initially sits alone reading a book. Charlie witnessed Candace’s boyfriend, Derek, strike her during an argument. He attempted to intervene, but Candace stopped him. He then attempted to relate the situation to when men had abused their Aunt Helen repeatedly. Charlie did not tell their parents what had happened, but continued to observe the situation from afar (Chbosky,