Readers Response Blog: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

PART ONE:  

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower. Pocket Books. 

The genre for this novel is Contemporary Realistic Fiction and is commonly used in high school English classes to explore themes of identity, adolescence, trauma, friendship, and personal growth.  

PART TWO: 

This book raises important issues about mental health, trauma, and identity. It shows how important it is to talk about feelings, seek help, and have a support system available. It also touched on topics of abuse and sexuality, which can prompt necessary conversations in young adults. This novel has also been controversial, due to its mature content, some schools require parental permission before assigning it. My first thought as I was reading was, i could not imagine reading this when I was in high school. I personally think it would have been a bit much for me at that time of my life. However, reading now as an adult, I can say I enjoyed it as it made me realize how much young adults can go through without having the right support of people around them.  

PART THREE:  

The plot in this novel is emotionally compelling and focuses on Charlie’s personal growth as he navigates high school, relationships, trauma, and mental health. It seems genuine and relevant because it strikes a balance between the everyday experiences of adolescence and more profound psychological and emotional themes. The suburban high school setting in the early 1990s feels real and rooted in teen culture, especially through music, books, and the way people interact with each other. The themes in this novel include mental health, trauma, identity, friendship, love, and self-acceptance and they are all handled with compassion. The writing of this novel is Epistolary style. The letters from Charlie create intimacy, giving readers direct access to his voice, vulnerability, and perspective. The point of view is only Charlie’s, and his perspective is sincere and often poetic, which builds strong emotional connection. 

PART FOUR: 

Lesson Objective: After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, students will analyze the novel’s themes of identity and mental health by participating in a class discussion and writing a one-page reflection that connects the novel’s themes to personal or societal experiences, with at least one direct reference to the text. 

Discussion Questions:  

1. What are some signs of mental health struggles in the novel? 

2.  How is mental health addressed or left unaddressed, and what can this teach us about stigma and support systems?" 

3. When Charlie said “'We accept the love we think we deserve”, what do you think he meant?  

Standard-based lesson activity: Collage of Literary Reflection and Social Connections 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 – Determine a theme or central idea and analyze its development. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9 – Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis. 

Students work in small groups to identify key scenes in the novel that https://www.betterup.com/blog/identity-crisis Each group will create a physical collage using quotes from the book, original artwork or symbolism, and outside sources like articles, poetry, photos, or song lyrics that reflect similar themes. Students will then present their collage and explain how it connects to the novel and real-world issues. Each student will write a short personal or analytical reflection in connection with the text.  

Resources: 

1. https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/subjects/health-and-physical-education/personal-mental-and-emotional-health/?rank_by=recency 

2. https://school.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=5339 

3. https://www.betterup.com/blog/identity-crisis