WHAT A CHARACTER

The Perks of Being A Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie Kelmeckis is just a freshman in high school, trying to find himself, trying to fit in, but he is just more than this quiet kid. Somewhere along the way he became lost as one usually does some point in their life. Charlie is struggling to be okay, by okay I mean normal. Not just any normal, normal as in who he really is. He fights a struggle of whether or not he is doing or saying the right thing.

On some deeper level I have made a connection with Charlie than I have ever did before with a character. I felt his pain, I related to his thoughts and experiences. In some ways I have a piece of Charlie inside of me and I always will.

In the novel, I identified the use use of pathos constantly. I felt joy, anger, and sadness. Every type of emotion could be felt through the story. I felt involved as if I was physically involved within the story, like I was experiencing everything with Charlie, not just emotionally. There was also usages of flashbacks and foreshadowing that gave hints from the past that affected Charlie's action towards the end of the novel. What I thought was unique about this novel was the way the author had written it. The story is written through a series of letters that Charlie wrote to an anonymous friend. He told his personal experiences, thoughts and sent them out hoping to just have someone listen. This style made the story even more personal and intimate to relate to.