Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Post #11: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Pt. 1

I started reading Chbosky's Perks of Being a Wallflower last night.  I've been wanting to read it for about a year now (it's been on my "Want to read list,"  located on the right side of the screen, since the semester started), but haven't had the opportunity until now.  So, I got in bed and began to read, and the next time I looked up, 140+ pages later, it was 3 a.m.  Needless to say, the book is engaging.  It certainly put me into the "reading flow" that is so common to avid readers.  It was engaging, and funny, and sad, and surprising, and all those other adjectives that can be used to describe a book in a positive light, but I'll highlight my favorite parts (hopefully, without giving too much away).

One thing that I found interesting is how quickly things happen for/to Charlie - Chbosky does well to capture this aspect of growing up.  In Charlie's case, he grows up at a rapid pace, like most adolescents do... to be honest, it was like being 15 all over again.  Topics like alcohol, drugs, sex, parties, friendships, interest in the opposite sex... all of these happen rapidly for young people, and Charlie's case is no different.

The humor involved is great, too.  Chbosky has a way of finding the humor in those profound moments of adolescence.  Here's an example:  At one point, Charlie writes something along the lines of... "Girls are weird.  I don't mean it in a mean way, I just don't know how else to describe it."  I remember thinking the exact same thing, and I'm sure that nearly every person that has gone through adolescence has thought that of the opposite sex.  You're growing up, romantic interest in others is growing, but since the situation is entirely new to you (not to mention that the other person is going through the exact same thing), its difficult to know what to do. So many situations in the novel are presented in a humorous light.  For adult readers, this book really brings you back... as an adolescent reader, I think that it would really offer insight into what is going on in your life.  Charlie would have been a  character that I could have related to when I was 15, and I'm sure that would be the case for many other adolescents.

There are two other things that I'd like to talk about, but I'm going to save them for when I'm done, so that I can see them develop as I continue.  The first is Charlie's writing style.  Since the beginning of the novel, I've noticed improvement in the narrator's writing skills.  I'm interested to see how this pans out.  I thought it was very interesting.  I'm thinking that Chbosky did it intentionally to show that the more you write, the better you get at it.  I'll talk more about this in my next post.  The second is all of the references that are made to books, film, and music.  The two play an important role in Charlie's life, and I'm interested to see where it leads him.  Here are the texts, films, and songs mentioned....

Literature

In the novel, Charlie's teacher, Bill, assigns him various books to read. Charlie describes them all as his favorites.
The book also references a book of poems by E. E. Cummings and The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts

 

  Film and television

The novel references these films and television shows:

 

Music

The novel references these songs:
 That's straight off of wikipedia, but as far as I can tell, it is correct.

I'll probably finish the book tonight, so I'll write more in the next day or two.
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1 comment:

  1. KimMarieNovember 4, 2010 at 12:29 PM

    Can't wait to hear what you thought of the rest of the book. I'm also very curious about what you noticed about the writing because I don't recall noticing anything in particular about that part aspect of the text. I'm guessing from your little foreshadowing comment that you think the writing is improving in some way. I do recall wondering about what role the recipient of the letters had on the style and what was written. And, I've always wondered if Charlie is a reliable narrator. Since he's reliving his experiences for the person he's writing for, it occurs to me that he could embellish one way or another to seem cooler, less cool, less timid, more aware, etc. I always ask people what they think, so I'll ask you too. And, I'll be really curious to see what you make of the list of "pop culture" references in the book. There's something about those lists that positions Charlie as a particular kind of teen, in the era the book was written. I wonder if it ends up dating the text in some ways too, or if those references remain somehow timeless. And, as I always wonder, do you seen any connection between this Charlie and Charlie Brown--the quintessential Charlie.

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