Revised Reading Response (1/6)

In the book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", I feel like the main character Charlie distances himself from other people. He's very reserved in general and doesn't really branch out as much as the other kids.

Charlie eventually meets Sam and Patrick who also seem very different from the common crowd and he starts hanging out with them. Charlie's new friends have also brought new experiences for him. That's one of the reasons I find this book so interesting, because it includes a lot of first exposures and Charlie's reactions along with them. It seems as though, to me, that how different Charlie is to the rest of his school is very much accepted by everyone and especially by his new group of friends, seeing as though they're pretty different too. A 'wallflower' is what Sam and Patrick used to describe him.

"You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand." I think that this shows a lot about Charlie's personality and that other people kind of don't really mind that he's so quiet because they know he's comprehending everything, just not in an outspoken way. I also think this has a lot to do with how the people are grouped in the book because Charlie’s new group of friends seem to mostly observe, whereas other people would want to be outgoing and put themselves out there like a lot of people normally would.

I also notice that this book is written a lot like if you were to just put all your thoughts on paper, or as if you were saying them out-loud; That you're telling it as you would in a conversation with someone else, rather than formally putting it on paper. I suppose this is Charlie's way of actually getting his thoughts out, considering he doesn't talk much when he's around people. This is probably his way of just being comfortable with what he does.

I think that being different and trying or learning about new things is a big topic in the book. The way that Charlie's character develops throughout the story, with the help of Sam and Patrick is really great. Friends are definitely a big symbol in this book and it shows that they would always be there. It kind of also teaches a lesson about how friends can change you in a good way.