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The Perks of Being a Wallflower 34712 Views


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What are the perks of being a wallflower? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a la Shmoop. Flowers have it pretty easy. Soak up the sun,

00:13

feed some honeybees, and maybe try to fit in a little photosynthesis before dinner.

00:18

But flowers aren’t really known for their social skills. Mostly, they’re content to

00:22

be a part of the scenery. In Stephen Chbosky’s <Shah-boss-key’s>

00:26

novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie…

00:29

…the “Guy With No Last Name”…

00:31

…spends more time in his head than he does in the real world.

00:35

He’s a wannabe writer who doesn’t write…

00:39

…And he’d rather spin records… or tapes… than hit the dance floor.

00:45

He also has romantic problems. He’d rather suffer through a boring relationship than

00:50

end it…

00:51

…and when his crush breaks up with her boyfriend, he takes action by… doing nothing.

00:59

Charlie seems content to live life as a passenger…

01:01

… instead of taking the wheel himself.

01:06

While this is one way of surviving high school, is it necessarily the best way?

01:11

What are the perks of being a wallflower? Well, since shy people aren’t exactly known

01:17

for their game…

01:19

…their close friends are there because of the real person beneath all the issues…

01:25

…not the candy coated outside.

01:27

Charlie’s a great listener, and his zipped lips are really good at keeping secrets. What’s

01:34

not to love?

01:36

Charlie doesn’t have a ton of friends, but he’s definitely doing something right, since

01:40

Patrick and Sam are willing to stick with him through the hard times.

01:44

That’s much better than a random hookup. Also, wallflowers get all the good dirt.

01:55

Charlie absorbs all of the human interaction around him, good or bad. He seems to see or

02:00

hear anything, from secret gay relationships to who’s pregnant.

02:07

Attention to detail is a handy tool for a writer…

02:12

…and Charlie’s keen eye for the human experience will definitely help him out--if

02:16

he ever gets around to writing anything. Or maybe there are no perks. Charlie isn’t

02:25

exactly a happy dude, and sometimes he loses it in a pretty big way.

02:33

His observations make him a more sensitive person, but they also cause him to shut down

02:38

emotionally.

02:38

Charlie protects Patrick and Sam, but he doesn’t take very good care of himself. It’s obvious

02:47

that he’s got some secrets which need to be told.

02:53

By the end of the book, our wallflower is ready for some fresh air.

02:58

So what are the perks of being a wallflower?

03:01

The ability to form close, genuine relationships? …

03:04

…Those uncanny observational skills?

03:06

Or is being a wallflower… not all it’s cracked up to be?

03:10

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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