The character Charlie in Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower is an interesting one. Charlie is influenced by many people, and the plot is driven by his inner turmoil as a ‘wallflower’. One of his greatest influences is from his Aunt Helen. Chbosky is able to paint a strong picture by using Aunt Helen, even though she does not appear in his story at all. She can easily be credited as an underlying drive for the book’s plot. When Aunt Helen was younger, she was molested by a friend of the family. She suffered through many trials throughout her life, but her experiences with this man affected her the greatest. It is assumed (from scenes later on in the book) that she might've even molested Charlie when he was younger. She abuses his quiet demeanor, and Charlie does not remember this at all. She was killed in a car accident on christmas eve- Charlie’s 7th birthday, whilst getting a birthday present for him. Learning about her …show more content…
Chbosky used the character of Helen quite intricately. It is rare that a character has such strong influences from something if it is not actually there, even though this is a fairly common thing in our everyday lives. He uses Helen to evoke depression in Charlie, an already deep-thinking and quiet character. We watch him slowly spiral down, and he knows that it is not healthy to think the way he’s thinking. Saying things like, “Something's really wrong with me. And I don’t know what it is.” (137) throughout the story, getting more and more concentrated towards the end. Charlie engages in spirals of thought, often leading in him to abandon some letters, “I have to stop doing this, I am getting to sad.” (168) and his negative character development begins to be the driving plotline of this story. His life is beginning to be rich with situations, and it’s becoming obvious that his inner turmoil is the cause of all of his struggles. But what caused this inner
Journal Entry 1, Pages 1-15 Starting off, I can already predict this book is going to be very controversial with the whole topic of whether or not science should be allowed to “play the role of God”. So far I believe Charlie is a very likable and friendly character. I also believe due to his mental state he is very vulnerable. I agree strongly with Prof Nemur when he said, “We will use Charlie.
The quote listed to the left is significant because it shows how Charlie, the main character fails to recall the unclear and perplexing events that transpired in his younger years.
Helen’s death became a meaningful experience during Lily’s adulthood. Lily’s younger sister, Helen had found herself in an insecure position as a young pregnant woman where she considered herself no longer fitted in society. Instead, of moving back to her parents, she moves in with Lily where she could not do anything to prevent Helen from committing suicide. This demonstrates to the readers, how tough it was for Lily to lose her sister, knowing that she had a great and long life ahead of her. Instead of Lily doing what she enjoyed the most all she could think about was her sister’s death and feeling nothing but, hopelessness and, pain. The readers are able to note how significant this passage is because losing someone close and building good memories was a strong thing for Lily to let go. She preferred staying home in bed and there were even times where everything bothered her such as the birds chirping and the kids laughing, which made her considered in quitting her job as a teacher. In conclusion, as Lily slowly begins to recover,
but Helen is still one of the smartest kids in the class. This reveals on the stuff that is happening to Helen in the story all the bullying and the bad conditions surrounding her and instead of flipping out like jane would she simply brushes it all off. Helens view on life is basically laid back but she still cares she tends to daydream a lot in her classes and that 's a reason she is a target in her classes.
13-14) For her, Charlie was the embodiment of that villain. Though the argument that resulted in the incident was the fault of both parties, Marion is unwilling or unable to consider Helen an equal party to Charlie's excesses. Marion's hatred of Charlie makes it impossible for her to impartially judge his attempts to rebuild his life. When she questions, "How long are you going to stay sober, Charlie?" (p. 12) at dinner the first evening of his return, her behavior is colored by her ill feelings toward her brother-in-law, but her concern for his willingness to stay sober is valid and understandable given Charlie's past behavior and her genuine concern for Honoria's best interests. His continued separation from Honoria is wrenching, but Marion's resistance to relinquishing custody, though partially fuelled by her hatred of Charlie, is also motivated by her fondness for her niece.
The character of Charlie (being the protagonist) is who the readers are directly linked too, as we are taken on a journey with him through his actions, feeling, ideas and perspectives. His journey also includes his maturation/ coming of age as he does not escape from his issues and problems however he faces them head on. “I have no idea where we’re going. The further we move, the keener my apprehension grows. Still, there is something emboldening about being awake when the rest of the world is sleeping. Like I know something they don’t.” The passage has shifted from the description of late-night Corrigan to the thoughts/feeling of Charlie. He has been called to a mysterious place by a peculiar figure called Jasper Jones. As they travel further and further away from Corrigan the more Charlie’s worry and doubt comes to him about where they are travelling, what they might be doing and why did Japer choose him over everyone else? The readers are unaware of why Charlie is following Jasper blindly and so is Charlie. This is a stage in the narrative where Charlie’s progression as a character starts. The mood is created here from the events that are happening and from the readers attachment to the protagonist. The thoughts of the characters are reflected as the feeling from the readers. In some ways we already understand what might happen based on different reading from
The book also focuses on Charlie’s home life. Charlie has two siblings that make him feel invisible. There’s a hidden resentment in the tone that is used by Charlie to explain his sister and brother. But by the end they have managed to form a certain bond that Charlie has always wanted.
In conclusion, Helen had gone through a lot of difficulties after her husband's death. She no doubt was confused herself and couldn’t take step at right time. Helen shows in the beginning that she really care about her children but later on she ignores them and always used to think about Cal. She always
Helen personality in the beginning of the movie is tolerant. Being able to put up with the way Charles treated her. At the end she’s courageous; she’s not afraid to stand up for what she wants. As Helen take care of Charles, she acts on her emotions by acting out in anger towards him, and also feeling the need to get back at him and leaving Orlando because she’s scared to be with someone other than Charles. She values the relationship with Charles; she thinks or feels the need to stay with him or feels she still loves him but in reality just wants payback for what he did. She leaves Orlando wanting to stay friends, but Orlando said,” how can I be friends with someone I’m in love with.”Running back to Charles to take care of him was just a way to treat him the way he treated her for 18 years.
Charlie is very far from what most people call normal: he is shy, introverted, awkward, independent, paranoid, confused, respectable and kind; showing many examples of this throughout the book. He keeps to himself for the most part and is constantly in his own head. Aside from the many negative traits he also has many attributes: he is a loyal friend and listens to the people he talks to, he is a caring person and comforts those in need. However he has his flaws as well: Charlie can get very angry and upset at others which causes him to lash out with violence or sadness, he is extremely sensitive, crying frequently and constantly questioning himself. Several of his peers labeled him as nerd or a weirdo, which damaged
In the beginning of the movie, Helen starts out writing in her diary about her 18th anniversary approaching with her husband Charles. For 18 years, she had been Blinded by what she thought was love. After marrying Charles, Helen gave up a lot. She lost connection with her family and only focused on his need and wants. She dressed and styled her hair to his likings. We see this happening in
The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a book about the changes teens go through as they mature and the obstacles they face during this time. Charlie comes across changes in his relationships, his own stance in his family, school, and friends, and how he thinks of himself. He learns about his past and makes changes towards how he thinks about himself and why he is who he is.
The setting of the novel greatly breads Charlie’s life. In the suburbs, everyone knows each other better than in the city. Therefore, when one person is beaten by a mental illness, it affects everyone in some way. When someone has a mental illness people do not talk about it, it is pushed away and hidden. No one really tries to help, but once the problem goes to extremes and someone commits suicide, no one is not talking about it. So when Charlie’s best and only friend stops coming to school and they announce that he has passed away, everyone is whispering about it and trying to find what really happened. Charlie found someone who knows the truth and got the true but devastating news “Dave with the awkward glasses told us that Michael
Charlie Kelmeckis is described as a “wallflower.” He is socially awkward and likes to keep to himself. He also really enjoys reading and writing. Charlie cares deeply for others, but has a lot of guilt about past events. For example, Charlie believes that the death of his Aunt Helen is his fault, because she was killed in a car accident on an errand to get Charlie a birthday gift. Charlie has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression. His mental instability was mostly caused by being sexually abused by his Aunt Helen before the age of seven. Charlie experiences flashbacks of his Aunt over the course of the movie, but all are portrayed in a positive light.
The characters of Anne and Helen both offer different elements to this story. In the story and movie, Helen is portrayed as lost in her younger years. She does not know right from wrong; all she knows is happiness and anger. The movie shows a scene that involves Helen walking around taking food off of her family members plates. The family does nothing to stop Helen. They allow her to take whatever she wants so that they can continue in conversation. This is appalling to Helen’s teacher, Anne Sullivan. When Helen tries to take something off of her plate she reacts and cannot believe the family allows this. This scene displays how Helen’s life has been thus far. It shows that because of her condition, her family never made her mind any manners. This led to Helen knowing no difference between right and