Winnie McCabe

Winnie McCabe
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
Realistic Fiction
Holiday
41

1) I am currently reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Right now in the story, it is October 28, 1991 and Charlie is writing about his experience Bob's party with Sam and Patrick. Charlie is a fifteen-year-old boy that is still trying to figure himself out. He has always been a wallflower. With his friend Michael committing suicide, it makes his high school experience a lot harder. Charlie is left with no friends at the start of high school. At a football game, he approaches a guy in his shop class named Patrick. Patrick is sitting with his stepsister, Sam, watching the game. Charlie makes an instant connection with Sam and Patrick. Later on, Charlie develops a crush on Sam. She tells him that he is too young for her. Charlie doesn't humiliate himself because Sam reacts in a joking manner. After a homecoming game, Sam and Patrick take Charlie to a party. They meet Bob at the door of his house and slide into the party. Charlie is offered a beer, but he rejects the offer. Then, Charlie eats brownies and becomes stoned.  Sam makes him a milkshake in the kitchen while he walks into another room to find Patrick kissing Brad, the quarterback of the football team.

2) I really like this book so far. I think this book has an interesting format, but I kind of like it. There are 4 parts to this book. Each part consists of many letters written by Charlie. I think it is awesome how the receiver of the letters is unknown. It gives the book a little bit of mystery and suspense. Chbosky is able to bring in so many different themes that are very relatable too. I find that I am similar to Charlie in so many ways, but I am different in so many ways too. I like being able to compare myself with characters and it is not always possible. Chbosky makes it so that everyone is able to relate to Charlie in the slightest way. This way, this book can appeal to a wide range of audiences. I feel like Charlie has a little bit of everyone's traits in him. His character is fun to read about and connect to. I have never read any books written by Stephen Chbosky before. I think I am going to read more when I finish this one.

3) Adolescence is a huge theme in this book. I see this theme all throughout Part 1 in this book. First, Charlie has to learn to deal with the challenges of loss. Most adolescents are faced with some kind of loss during their years as a teen. Charlie loses a close friend named Michael. High school is a big part of adolescence too. As a freshman, Charlie learns how high school works. He learns to make new friends that he would not usually talk to. Charlie is not the most popular kid in his school, but he is not forgotten. Another challenge that adolescents face is drugs and alcohol. I see this when Charlie is at the football game and Sam and Patrick are smoking. I also see this at Bob's party where Charlie was drugged and offered a beer. Luckily, Charlie refused to drink the beer, but he was unaware of the drugs that were put in the brownies he ate.

4) My favorite character is Sam. I like her the best because she is not afraid to be different. She likes different music and is not afraid to be herself. Sam is able to be popular in her own way while still being an outsider. She is really nice to Charlie and makes sure he is safe at Bob's party. I think she was really nice to take care of him and befriend him. Sam also seems like a pleasant person to be around. She is able to hold on to her individuality at a time where you need it most. Her attitude toward everything impresses me. She is never sad, and she always jokes around. I love how she can make Charlie feel so important, but she reminds him at the same time that he is a wallflower.

5) My least favorite character is Charlie's sister. She hasn't been given a name yet. I don't like the way she acts when she talks to Charlie. She is really mean and secretive about everything. After Bill told Charlie's parents about what he had told him, she was so cruel to Charlie. Charlie's parents needed to know that her boyfriend hit her. It is no okay for her to keep seeing her boyfriend after he did this to her. It was really inappropriate and she should not allow this to happen to her. She was so mean to Charlie after her parents confronted her. She said hurtful things to him that she would never be able to take back. Charlie did the right thing. He did not deserve to be treated badly by her. Charlie's sister needs to be able to make good judgements about who she should be hanging around with.

6) I have a few predictions so far. I think that Patrick and Brad's relationship is going to go public. It hasn't really been hinted at much, but I have a feeling it is going to happen. I feel like since Brad wants to keep it a secret, it will always get out somehow. It will probably be an embarrassing situation for everyone. The next prediction I have is about Charlie's sister. I think that Charlie's sister will keep seeing the boy that hit her. Even though Charlie's parents are strongly against her going out with that boy, she will find a way to secretly meet up with him. I think that this will happen because Charlie saw them dancing together at the homecoming dance. They might already be sneaking around together. It is just a matter of time before they see each other on a different scale. I don't think Charlie's parents will be too happy about their situation if they decide to see each other!