The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by

Stephen Chbosky

Sam, one of the friends Charlie makes in high school, quickly becomes one of his favorite people, as well as the first girl he falls in love with. Sam is a few years older than Charlie, and she is kind, warm, and open. She and her stepbrother Patrick invite Charlie into their friend group and bond over similar interests in music. Like Charlie, she was molested as a child, and she deals with it by confronting her memories and deciding to develop a healthy relationship with herself and not accept less than what she deserves. Her ability to deal with her trauma head-on sets a positive example for Charlie, and he also learns from her about healthy forms of intimacy between consenting peers, as she demonstrates for him how to move on from bad relationships and how to learn to participate in meaningful ones. She kisses Charlie, telling him she wants his first kiss to be with someone who loves him. At the end of the novel, she leaves for college with a mutually loving but vaguely defined relationship with Charlie.

Sam Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The The Perks of Being a Wallflower quotes below are all either spoken by Sam or refer to Sam. 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 feel infinite.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam, Patrick
Related Symbols: Music
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2  Quotes

It was an old 45 record that had the Beatles’ song “Something.” I used to listen to it all the time when I was little and thinking about grown-up things. I would go to my bedroom window and stare at my reflection in the glass and the trees behind it and just listen to the song for hours. I decided then that when I met someone I thought was as beautiful as the song, I should give it to that person. And I didn’t mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all ways. So, I was giving it to Sam.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Aunt Helen, Sam
Related Symbols: Music
Page Number: 68-69
Explanation and Analysis:

“I want to make sure that the first person you kiss loves you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam (speaker)
Page Number: 70
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3 Quotes

I don't know what it was, and I know we didn't really accomplish

anything, but it felt great to sit there and talk about our place in things. It was like when Bill told me to “participate.” I went to the homecoming dance like I told you before, but this was much more fun. It was especially fun to think that people all over the world were having similar conversations in their equivalent of the Big Boy.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam, Patrick, Mary Elizabeth
Related Symbols: Books
Page Number: 105-106
Explanation and Analysis:

I could say that it was the wine or the beer that I chugged. I could also say that I had forgotten the time Mary Elizabeth asked me if I thought she was pretty. But I would be lying. The truth is that when Patrick dared me, I knew that if I kissed Mary Elizabeth, I would be lying to everyone. Including Sam. Including Patrick. Including Mary Elizabeth. And I just couldn't do it anymore. Even if it was part of a game.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam, Patrick, Mary Elizabeth
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4 Quotes

“Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you're not even there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things.”

Related Characters: Sam (speaker), Charlie
Page Number: 200
Explanation and Analysis:

“I can't do that anymore. I'm sorry,” I said.

“It's okay, Charlie. Just go to sleep,” Sam said.

But I wasn't talking to Sam anymore. I was talking to someone else. When I fell asleep, I had this dream. My brother and my sister and I were watching television with my Aunt Helen. Everything was in slow motion. The sound was thick. And she was doing what Sam was doing. That's when I woke up. And I didn't know what the hell was going on.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam (speaker), Aunt Helen
Page Number: 203-204
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Perks of Being a Wallflower LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower PDF

Sam Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The The Perks of Being a Wallflower quotes below are all either spoken by Sam or refer to Sam. 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 feel infinite.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam, Patrick
Related Symbols: Music
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2  Quotes

It was an old 45 record that had the Beatles’ song “Something.” I used to listen to it all the time when I was little and thinking about grown-up things. I would go to my bedroom window and stare at my reflection in the glass and the trees behind it and just listen to the song for hours. I decided then that when I met someone I thought was as beautiful as the song, I should give it to that person. And I didn’t mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all ways. So, I was giving it to Sam.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Aunt Helen, Sam
Related Symbols: Music
Page Number: 68-69
Explanation and Analysis:

“I want to make sure that the first person you kiss loves you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam (speaker)
Page Number: 70
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3 Quotes

I don't know what it was, and I know we didn't really accomplish

anything, but it felt great to sit there and talk about our place in things. It was like when Bill told me to “participate.” I went to the homecoming dance like I told you before, but this was much more fun. It was especially fun to think that people all over the world were having similar conversations in their equivalent of the Big Boy.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam, Patrick, Mary Elizabeth
Related Symbols: Books
Page Number: 105-106
Explanation and Analysis:

I could say that it was the wine or the beer that I chugged. I could also say that I had forgotten the time Mary Elizabeth asked me if I thought she was pretty. But I would be lying. The truth is that when Patrick dared me, I knew that if I kissed Mary Elizabeth, I would be lying to everyone. Including Sam. Including Patrick. Including Mary Elizabeth. And I just couldn't do it anymore. Even if it was part of a game.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam, Patrick, Mary Elizabeth
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4 Quotes

“Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you're not even there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things.”

Related Characters: Sam (speaker), Charlie
Page Number: 200
Explanation and Analysis:

“I can't do that anymore. I'm sorry,” I said.

“It's okay, Charlie. Just go to sleep,” Sam said.

But I wasn't talking to Sam anymore. I was talking to someone else. When I fell asleep, I had this dream. My brother and my sister and I were watching television with my Aunt Helen. Everything was in slow motion. The sound was thick. And she was doing what Sam was doing. That's when I woke up. And I didn't know what the hell was going on.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Sam (speaker), Aunt Helen
Page Number: 203-204
Explanation and Analysis: