Changing in ’the Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Changing in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie, a freshman in high school, grows from being someone who sits by and watches life to a person who fully participates in life. Charlie’s personality changes a lot throughout the book. He starts off as a person who sits back and watches all the people and situations in life around him pass him by. This continues until his teacher, Bill, convinces him that it is important to participate in life and not just be an observer. This conversation is life-changing for Charlie, and sends him on his way to live life fully, make friends, and create his own memories. It was not until Charlie’s conversation with Bill, and Charlie following Bill’s advice, that Charlie began really living his life. Before that time Charlie was not a normal child.

Charlie’s normal day at the beginning of the book consists of his walking around observing other people. He constantly speculates about the people he knows and how they are feeling. He wonders what their lives are like and what they were thinking about him, about other people, and about their situations. Charlie makes a statement about his typical day at school that shows how he is operating. He states that he

Walk[s] around the school hallways and look[s] at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why. (23)

Here, Charlie explains that he never actually talks to the people at his school or interacts with them. He just keeps to himself and minds his own business as if he were a wall flower. Charlie looks in on everyone else and observes their action. People never really notice him. He later comments that “At school dances I sit in the background and tap my toe, and I wonder how many couples will dance to �their song’” (23). This behavior continues until Charlie has a conversation with his English teacher, Bill. Charlie has great respect for Bill and really listens and takes to heart the advice that Bill offers to him. Bill realizes something new about Charlie. He realizes that Charlie is not really living life, that he is just observing life. The conversation between Bill and Charlie goes as follows:

“Do you always think this much, Charlie?” “Is that bad,” asks Charlie.

“Not necessarily. It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life,” replies Bill.