Kendall Henderson - Abuse in The Perks of Being A Wallflower

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I think one of the most interesting issues Perks explores is the difficulty of escaping abuse: Charlie realizes he was sexually abused as a child, his sister struggles to accept that her boyfriend is abusive towards her, and Patrick suffers verbal and mental abuse from repressed Brad. Sam experiences her own cycles of self-destruction in choosing partners who don't value her because of low self-esteem. One of Charlie's main concerns is the wellbeing of those around him and through his efforts to understand their experiences and choices we are able to see the nuances of different kinds of abusive or destructive relationships. For teenage readers, seeing issues they may be facing from the perspective of a caring outsider might illuminate things about their own lives they haven't been able to understand or help them find a caringness for themselves through Charlie's endless empathy for his friends.

As much as readers can relate to Charlie, Sam and Patrick are equally empathetic characters, and for a reader, seeing the free-spirited high-schoolers who would usually be the protagonists of the novel from a quiet, loving observer might give them a new perspective on themselves. The use of Charlie's narration feels like a great way to allow the readers to cathartically place themselves in both Charlie and Sam/Patrick/Charlie's sister's positions so they can feel the emotions towards themselves that Charlie feels for his friends and family. Charlie observes things that can help readers see their own experiences through a different perspective: he says of Sam's boyfriend, " It's like he would take a photograph of Sam, and the photograph would be beautiful. And he would think that the reason the photograph was beautiful was because he took it. If I took it, I would know that the only reason it's beautiful is because of Sam" (48). Many readers have been both Charlie and Sam; it's freeing to be able to see yourself from another perspective and/or to see yourself in Charlie's isolation and thoughtfulness.

There's a lot of inquiry into why and how people get stuck in cycles of abusive or destructive relationships. Often, for the characters in the novel and in real life, the feeling of being in love is stronger than a person's self worth. Self-esteem ends up being a major issue for all the characters in the novel: everyone is vulnerable at some points, even Charlie's stoic parents, and the insecurities that everyone suffers despite of age or gender or social status greatly determine choices, particularly romantic relationships. The characters learn to grow and thrive when they start to find a strong sense of identity and value of self. For teenagers, to see this journey from self-destructive low self-value to strength through self and healthy relationships would probably be a kind of inspiration and hope. Charlie wants the reader to "believe that things are good with me" and he will "believe the same about you" (213); even older readers can empathize with this continuous hope for future happiness and peace.

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