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In fact Perks of Being a Wallflower does have certain themes and characters that relate to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. One of the major themes in both of these book is the loss of innocence. In Lord of the Flies, once the young boys have been on the island for a while, some dreadful events have occurred. When Jack and Roger enforce widespread control over the entire tribe, it changes the innocent young boys into complete savages. The necessity for hunting and blood made the boys lose their juvenile behaviors and twisted them into savages. In Perks of Being a Wallflower the theme of loss of innocence is apparent as well. As Charlie goes through his freshman year of high school and gains his new friends, Sam and Patrick, his personality changes making the teenage/young adult life become more bizarre. Charlie is experimenting with alcohol, drugs, love, family problems, school, and his own personal problems which mature him into a soon to be adult. Also, at the beginning of the book one sees how Charlie is an outcast (or wallflower) and how he feels isolated. That ties with Lord of the Flies because in the end of the book, Ralph feels isolated when Piggy has died and he is left alone to figure out what the plan is. Charlie is left to do the same and both find a happy ending Charlie finds great friends and Ralph and the boys get saved from the island. Important quotes from the novel below! "So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower "She wasn't bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind of sad that just takes time. ” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower “I just want you to know that you’re very special… and the only reason I’m telling you is that I don’t know if anyone else ever has.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower “Maybe it’s sad that these are now memories. And maybe it’s not sad.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower “Because I know there are people who say all these things don’t happen. And there are people who forget what it’s like to be sixteen when they turn seventeen. I know these will all be stories some day, and our pictures will become old photographs. We all become somebody’s mom or dad. But right now, these moments are not stories. This is happening. I am here, and I am looking at her. And she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story. You are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you’re listening to that song, and that drive with the people who you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower “It's nice to have things to look forward to.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower “I was very grateful to have heard it again. Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think everyone is special in their own way. I really do.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower “I don't know the significance of this, but I find it very interesting.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower Usually the word Wallflower carries negative connotations but personally I believe one of the reasons Chbosky wrote the novel was to break these harsh connotations the follow people that are “wallflowers.” This book contains characters that have some unusual characteristics compared to a typical any old high school novel. Take Sam for example, she is a free spirt with a dark past. Sam is also a wallflower so many may associate the word negatively. However, Chbosky uses excellent characterization tactics to prove this is not the case. Although those previously characteristics may be a part of Sam, she also has other personality traits including that she is kind, unique, forgiving, and loving. Having been exposed to these traits the reader grows to realize that being a wallflower may not truly be a bad thing to be. Sam is only one example, there are many others that further prove this theory. Once you grow relationships with Chbosky’s characters the term “wallflower” transforms into something new.
Both the movie and book are wonderful. However, there were differences between the two. In the book we read Charlie all of his thoughts, yet in contrast, in the movie the viewer is unable to see tha same perspective as the reader is able to. The book reveals that Charlie is comical and courageousbut the movie does not illustrate this as much. Of course, representing that in the movie will confuse the audience to think that Charlie is in a way outgoing so that is why in the movie they had to keep Charlie completely shy and less relaxed. Also, in the movie Charlie's family is present and it shows how Charlie's sister's boyfriend hits her but in the movie it does not show the audience how it dramatically altered Charlie and his sister's relationship. The most drastic change was in Charlie's poem which given to Patrick as a Christmas present was completely left out of the movie. Although, the poem does not have much meaning to the plot in the book it shows how that poem really ties his friendship together with Patrick, Sam, Alice, Bob, and Mary Elizabeth. Want to watch the cast of the movie and Stephan Chbosky himself talk about the book and film? Click above!
Sam is one of Charlie's best friends and one of the main characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Sam is a free spirt with a dark past involving the use of illegal drugs. However, despite the wild personality of Sam, Charlie has been in love with her ever since he laid his eyes on her. Charlie filters out all of Sam’s flaws and only sees her as beautiful and pure. Sam is very caring and forgiving and quickly accepts Charlie into her misfit group of friends. Charlie realizes what hardships Sam has endured when Sam admits her first kiss was with her dad’s friend when she was only seven years old. Sam always tries to cheer up her friends and boost their self-confidence despite her personal low self-esteem. Sam has an encouraging effect on Charlie and she is a trustworthy friend. Even though Charlie shows his love for her directly, she unmistakably tells him she does not feel the same way about him. Later on in the novel Charlie really appreciates Sam for who she is and she accepts it and loves him even more. She helps Charlie feel comfortable in his own skin which really helps him through the tough transition of growing up. |