The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Charlie exchanges many gifts with his friends and family over the course of the novel. Think about the role that gifts play in how each character expresses their feelings.

• What is the significance of gift exchanges for Charlie? (topic sentence)
• How do these exchanges show Charlie’s feelings, both when he gives and receives a gift? Name at least three gifts and use details from the text to support your ideas.
• Finally, discuss in your concluding sentence or sentences how these gift exchanges connect to the theme of family, friends, and identity.

2. Think about Patrick’s statement that Charlie is a “wallflower,” telling him, “You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand” (36).

• Is Charlie a wallflower throughout the whole novel? Why or why not? (topic sentence)
• What are two instances in which Charlie acts like a “wallflower” and one in which he doesn’t?
• Finally, describe in your concluding sentence or sentences how the idea of Charlie as a wallflower connects to the theme of the secrecy of abuse and molestation.

3. Consider the role of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the novel and Charlie’s involvement with it.

• What might Charlie’s increasing engagement with the production symbolize about his growth? (topic sentence)
• How does Charlie describe his experience with the show, and how does it relate to his understanding of himself?
• Finally, discuss in your concluding sentences what The Rocky Horror Picture Show means to Charlie.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Choose one of the books that Bill gives Charlie as part of his extracurricular reading and read it. In this essay, you should analyze the book’s major themes and apply them to The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Why did Chbosky choose to include this book? How does it fit in with Charlie’s story? How is Charlie similar to the protagonist of this book? How is he different? What does this suggest about the inclusion of books as a motif?

2. Consider the secrets that Charlie keeps throughout the novel. What is the relationship between secrecy and abuse in the novel? What effect do secrets have on Charlie and other characters in the novel? Is this theme resolved after Charlie leaves the hospital? As you compose your essay, be sure to include quotations from the text and illustrate how they support your argument.

3. Charlie feels accepted when he is around Sam, Patrick, and his other friends, but when they are distant from him (as when they are on winter vacation or when Charlie kisses Sam over Mary Elizabeth), he feels very low. Additionally, his friends introduce him to drugs and alcohol. Decide whether or not Sam and Patrick have an overall positive effect on Charlie and write a persuasive essay that defends your position and considers the opposing view. Be sure to cite examples from the text.

4. Many of Charlie’s closest relationships are with women: Aunt Helen, Sam, his sister, and even his mother and Mary Elizabeth. What role do women play in this novel? How do Charlie’s experiences of closeness with each of them shape him as a person? Choose one of the women in the text and trace Charlie’s relationship with her throughout the novel. Centralize your argument about her effect on his life with a strong thesis, and use examples from Charlie’s narration to support your point.