The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by

Stephen Chbosky

Charlie’s dad was also physically abused as a child, and that experience made him strongly averse to physical punishment of any kind with his own children. Despite his commitment to nonviolence, however, Charlie’s dad still subscribes to an emotionally distant and often aggressive brand of masculinity, where anger is the only acceptable emotion to display. His behavior makes Charlie and his older brother feel that crying in public is socially unacceptable, although Charlie remembers walking into the kitchen once and catching sight of his dad weeping profusely. Once a college baseball star, Charlie’s dad dropped out of college because he and Charlie’s mom became pregnant with Charlie’s brother. Charlie’s dad seems to live vicariously through his oldest son’s athletic accomplishments.

Charlie’s Dad Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The The Perks of Being a Wallflower quotes below are all either spoken by Charlie’s Dad or refer to Charlie’s Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Trauma, Abuse, and Mental Health Theme Icon
).
Part 1 Quotes

I walked into the kitchen, and I saw my dad making a sandwich…and crying. He was crying harder than even my mom. And I couldn’t believe it. When he finished making his sandwich, he put away the things in the refrigerator and stopped crying and wiped his eyes and saw me. Then, he walked up, patted my shoulder, and said, “This is our little secret, okay, champ?”

“Okay,” I said.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Charlie’s Dad
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2  Quotes

Sometimes, I look at my parents now and wonder what happened to make them the way they are. And I wonder what will happen to my sister when her boyfriend graduates from law school. And what my brother’s face will look like on a football card, or what it will look like if it is never on a football card. My dad played college baseball for two years, but he had to stop when Mom got pregnant with my brother. That’s when he started working at the office.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Charlie’s Sister, Charlie’s Mom, Charlie’s Dad, Charlie’s Brother
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower PDF

Charlie’s Dad Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The The Perks of Being a Wallflower quotes below are all either spoken by Charlie’s Dad or refer to Charlie’s Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Trauma, Abuse, and Mental Health Theme Icon
).
Part 1 Quotes

I walked into the kitchen, and I saw my dad making a sandwich…and crying. He was crying harder than even my mom. And I couldn’t believe it. When he finished making his sandwich, he put away the things in the refrigerator and stopped crying and wiped his eyes and saw me. Then, he walked up, patted my shoulder, and said, “This is our little secret, okay, champ?”

“Okay,” I said.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Charlie’s Dad
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2  Quotes

Sometimes, I look at my parents now and wonder what happened to make them the way they are. And I wonder what will happen to my sister when her boyfriend graduates from law school. And what my brother’s face will look like on a football card, or what it will look like if it is never on a football card. My dad played college baseball for two years, but he had to stop when Mom got pregnant with my brother. That’s when he started working at the office.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Charlie’s Sister, Charlie’s Mom, Charlie’s Dad, Charlie’s Brother
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis: