(Click the themes infographic to download.)
As you can imagine, we have a soft spot for this one. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie reads a dozen books over the course of the year, and those are just the ones he tells us about. Plus, they're all total classics. Doesn't get much better than that. We have Charlie's English teacher, Bill, to thank for this—he encourages Charlie not only to read, but to think critically about what he's reading. He's a regular old Shmooper.
Our guy isn't just a reader, he's also a writer. And we're not talking about the fact that he wants to be an author when he grows up—we're talking about that fact that he actually writes. A lot. And we get the privilege of reading it. Sure, he doesn't participate in other writing activities (like writing for his school newspaper or Punk Rocky), but at least he's doing something. And it's just perfect for his wallflower style.
Questions About Literature and Writing
- Is Charlie a good writer? What would you say his writing style is?
- Why do Charlie's friends encourage him to write?
- How do the characters in the books Charlie reads compare to Charlie himself? Which character is he most like?