The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Part 1 Summary & Analysis

By addressing the letters to an anonymous “friend,” it’s as if Charlie is speaking to the reader directly and inviting them into the story. His description of the anonymous addressee is general enough that many readers will be able to imagine themselves into the role of the letter’s intended recipient, thinking of themselves as people willing to “listen and understand.” Charlie’s desire to remain unknown to the reader while also sharing details of his life with them suggests that Charlie may have a secret to keep. At the very least, the letters allow him to be more open and vulnerable than he might be with someone who knows him.

Charlie briefly introduces his struggle with his mental health here. Telling the reader about Michael’s suicide lends a serious tone to the start of the novel and gives the reader some background knowledge regarding Charlie’s conflicting emotions. Though crying seems to be a normal response to a friend’s death, Charlie’s brother’s instruction to pull himself together before seeing their dad suggests that open expression of emotions, and particularly tears, are not acceptable in their family.

Though brought in as mental health professionals, the counselors don’t seem to know how to speak to this room of bereaved teenagers. Charlie’s desire to know Michael’s reasons are an effort to make sense of the unthinkable, as though knowing the reasons behind his suicide would make the grieving more manageable. His reaction to the counselor saying that Michael likely had no one to talk to suggests that Charlie feels hurt, angry, and abandoned by Michael.

Charlie’s description of his family builds a picture of a typical middle-class nuclear family in which all the members seem to fit stereotypical gender roles. Charlie’s statement that he “could have it a lot worse” seems to suggest a belief that, because his family is normal on the surface, his own problems must not be very serious.

Charlie’s distant relationship with his immediate family is hinted at when he writes that his aunt was his favorite person in the world. Writing vaguely about the bad things that happened to Helen further reinforces that multiple people in Charlie’s life have been touched by trauma, though the nature of Helen’s difficulties, as with Michael’s, remains unclear. Helen’s defense of Charlie after his dad slapped him shows that she was protective of him. After his mom tells him what happened to Aunt Helen, he again writes that other people have it worse—again pushing his experiences aside to focus on the pain of others. All of this background information helps the reader to understand why Charlie is scared to start high school (without his best friend) and why he has to tell an anonymous reader about it—because he doesn’t have anyone else to tell.

Charlie struggles with accepting that another person close to Michael seems to have moved on without him. Comparing Michael and Susan’s friendship to his and his aunt Helen’s is an odd comparison given that Michael and Susan are teenage peers, and Charlie was a child when he spent time with his adult aunt. Charlie’s honest and perceptive comment that triggered the bully’s fury suggests that he’s incredibly insightful but also blunt. Though he behaved in a defensible way by simply defending himself, Charlie’s emotional reaction afterwards indicates that causing others pain upsets him.

That he doesn’t get in trouble shows that Charlie’s decision to fight back was an appropriate response, but his crying after the violence makes the other students think he’s strange, implying that violence is socially acceptable for boys while being sensitive is not. Knowing about his parents’ financial limits give him an increased sense of responsibility to perform well academically and not be a financial burden on his parents. Charlie attempts to cope with his loneliness by focusing on his studies.

Charlie’s commitment to reading books multiple times suggests that he likes to read and understand the story thoroughly, further characterizing him as a patient and thoughtful young man. Even though they don’t bond much, Charlie and his sister are proud of their brother and that pride unites them. 

Charlie’s first friend at school is ironically his English teacher, who gives him the sort of validation that he doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere else. Charlie’s mom doesn’t seem to understand that the value is not in the prestige of taking higher classes but rather, in working with an educator who seems to have taken an interest in Charlie’s development.

From Charlie’s perspective, his sister seems mean to the boys, but he fails to consider that she’s simply behaving the way she’s been taught is socially acceptable. Sharing the music creates a bonding moment for them during which Charlie both tells her his opinions about music and helps her form a stronger connection with a potential boyfriend. Coming from Charlie’s dad, being called “soft,” is an insult to the boy’s masculinity, and Charlie suspects that his sister has learned from her father that she should not desire “soft” men.

Charlie’s sister’s decision to officially date the boy who hits her further suggests that she has been taught that “tough” men are desirable, and that sticking up for oneself means behaving violently. Though it was an accident, Charlie’s sister calls Charlie a pervert for walking in on them, making him feel as if he is to blame for a situation that is beyond his control. He sees his sister’s boyfriend’s behavior further validated when his dad calls him “a fine young man,” showing that the previously “soft” boy gains acceptance through his aggression and sexuality. Instead of feeling happy for their relationship, Charlie pities them, seeing their relationship as a series of events they will have to “put up with” rather than enjoy together. More than anything, this perhaps suggests Charlie’s own preference for being alone.

Patrick’s demand that he be called by his name, though unsuccessful, demonstrates an alternative way of sticking up for oneself that doesn’t involve violence. Calling him “Patty” suggests that the other kids either perceive or project a certain level of femininity in Patrick. Having been the object of ridicule himself, Patrick uses his humor to cope with social situations without doing so in a hurtful way.

Unlike the teachers from middle school, Bill doesn’t seem to give Charlie good grades because he’s “nervous” about him. Instead, he gives him concrete feedback and encouragement to grow. Charlie’s thoughts about his mother suggest that she is unwilling or unable to accept praise, and his word choice in calling his father “pragmatic” indicates a lack of romance in their relationship. His description of his mother and Aunt Helen suggest a possible tension between them, but his memories of Aunt Helen illustrate how special she was, at least to him.

While Charlie’s mother can cry openly, Charlie’s father treats crying like something shameful and private. In asking Charlie to keep the incident a secret, he imparts the expectation that men keep their emotions secret. Though they seem to have complicated relationships, Charlie writes about his favorite memories of his parents and admits that he loves them—perhaps to remind himself that they care for each other in their own ways.

Significant as a place he used to go with his deceased best friend, the football game represents a bonding place both between friends and for the whole school as they root for their team. Brave enough to go by himself, Charlie’s vulnerability in this instance is rewarded when he makes two new friends. Charlie’s tone in this letter as he describes his experiences is joyful now that he feels included, especially with people who seem genuinely interested in getting to know him. His reaction to his erotic dream about Sam shows that he views sexual desire as shameful and something that stands in the way of positive relationships.

Charlie’s enthusiastic embrace of his new discovery suggests a positive development in his attitude toward his own sexuality, though he still feels ashamed for his dream about Sam. His compulsion to confess his dream to her indicates that Charlie strongly values honesty. Once again reinforcing the notion that his family dynamic is rather cold, Charlie’s mentioning that Aunt Helen was the only one who hugged him further establishes their close relationship.

Patrick’s comments to Charlie seem to be intended to help Charlie understand why women choose to date the men they do, but they also seem to place the blame on women for dating “challenging” men. After their conversation, Charlie notices how some of his peers seem to have embraced the notion that women can “belong” to men. Though he validates Charlie’s thoughts as valuable, Bill also pushes Charlie to participate in his life rather than simply watch as everyone else participates in theirs. Charlie’s decision to confide in Bill about his sister’s abuse indicates that he feels close enough to Bill to trust him with sensitive information. Bill’s statement helps Charlie understand that to have good relationships, one must have a good relationship with oneself first.

Reacting to the news of their daughter’s abuse as perhaps most parents would, Charlie’s parents clearly want to protect their children from harm even if they don’t always know how to show love. Even though Charlie usually describes his mom as quiet, it becomes clear here that she exercises her authority in the family at certain moments. Charlie’s sister’s reaction to Charlie’s attempt to protect her shows that his efforts to love his family aren’t always appreciated.

This background information helps the reader to better understand Charlie’s relationship with his father, as well as his father’s behavior. Charlie’s sympathy toward his dad—even though his dad hit him—also demonstrates Charlie’s tendency to feel sorry for the abuser because of whatever experiences they had that caused them to hit.

Despite his earlier enthusiasm, Charlie’s confession of guilt over masturbating again suggests that Charlie closely associates sexuality with shame. His abrupt transition in the topic could indicate that he became uncomfortable with thinking about it too much and needed to switch subjects. Though Charlie’s dad had offered Charlie an excuse for why he hit him earlier, now that someone else has hit one of his kids, he feels no interest in the possible reasons why. 

Charlie’s tendency to get lost in his reading and writing suggest that those spaces are more comfortable for him than participating in the real world. Bill’s book choice for Charlie is a pretty direct message to Charlie to quit dwelling in the past and embrace his adolescence like his peers rather than resent them for growing up, like Peter does Wendy. Sam and Patrick provide Charlie with essential opportunities to participate.

Charlie’s experience of witnessing a sexual assault provides an additional clue as to why he seems to have such a complicated relationship to sexuality and intimacy. Though he saw something he didn’t want to and didn’t comprehend at the moment, his sister calls him a “pervert.” Being made to feel guilty for witnessing a situation beyond his control seems to have reinforced Charlie’s tendency to keep quiet about the things he sees.

Watching a rapist continue to participate in ordinary life and even be celebrated makes Charlie angry. As a young woman, Sam understands the difficult and often unreliable process of holding rapists accountable, and Charlie’s desire to punish Dave for his behavior suggests he possesses a strong urge to seek retribution for people who have been wronged. Because fighting was how he solved his problem with the bully, Charlie’s first instinct is to punish Dave by fighting him, but ultimately, he chooses nonviolence instead.

Charlie feels such a profound sense of connection and belonging as he sits between his friends and listens to music that he feels endless. Among his new friends, Charlie is free to explore new experiences, like cannabis, and he gets to know them better. Brad’s fear of others finding out about his sexual orientation suggests that his friends and family wouldn’t accept him if they knew. Unlike Charlie’s sister, Patrick doesn’t yell at Charlie and call him a pervert for walking in on him and Brad. Instead, he trusts Charlie as a friend to respect their discretion. From his friends, Charlie receives appreciation and recognition that he doesn’t seem to get at home.

At the dance, Charlie observes the ways in which Patrick and Brad’s relationship is the opposite of his sister’s. Whereas Patrick and Brad cannot be open about their relationship at school because of social homophobia, school is one of the few places where Charlie’s sister can be together with her boyfriend. A direct contrast is made to point out that abusive heterosexual relationships are sometimes more socially acceptable than healthy homosexual relationships. In the tunnel, Sam appears full of life and joy and is an example for Charlie of what enthusiastic participation is life looks like. Her joy is contagious and spreads to Patrick and Charlie, too.