Throughout this week I finished the second novel I am currently reading, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. One of the things I noticed while reading, is that the main character, Charlie, has good and bad qualities, and although he is a very genuine being, there are definitely things that Charlie needed to work on.
First of all, Charlie was a very accepting person. He didn't mind hanging out with outcasts like most freshmen do, and didn't judge others based on their opinions and emotions. For example, when he learns about his good friend Patrick's sexual orientation, he isn't fazed at all. Charlie accepts Patrick for who he his, always being their for Patrick when he needs him. Another admirable thing about Charlie, is that he loves his family, not afraid to admit his love in front of others. This may seem like a very simple task, but in reality a lot of people in high school do not show that they love their parents, and go against what parents want them to do.
However, something Charlie doesn't do well of is that he never voices his own opinion, and not telling secrets that really need to be told. For example, when his sister's boyfriend hits her, he promises to not tell their parents. He obviously should have told her parents though, because that was a serious issue and wasn't okay. The boy needed to be punished for what he did, and Charlie got in the way of that. Another way he doesn't voice his opinion is by not telling Mary Elizabeth that he really isn't interested in dating her. If he would have been honest about his feelings in the beginning, than in turn, nobody would have gotten hurt from that situation.
This relates to my life well because I also have good and bad traits. One of these good traits is that I do like to voice my opinion and let others know when I am uncomfortable in any sort of situation. However, one of my bad traits is that I have a hard time being kind to people, when they aren't so kind to me. I believe I really need to start working on being able to be cordial with people that I don't particularly like, and not let their rudeness get to me.
This book seems very interesting and the fact that the movie has done so well really compels me to read it. I like how you gave a contrast between what the characters do well and badly. This contrast really helped me see the characterization of charlie and now I know what type of characters I would be dealing with if I read this book. Thanks for the back up info!
ReplyDeleteI have read this book before, and I really enjoyed it. I liked how you wrote about your opinion of the novel and what morals it teaches. Good job!
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