The Perks of Best Friends
Friends that will always be there
The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You (HD) + Lyrics
This song shows that no matter what, friends will always be there, through thick and thin. The relationship showed in this song can represent the realtionships in The Perks of Being a Wallflower between Charlie and Patrick, and Charlie and Sam. Charlie would do anything for them, and they would do the same for him.
Charlie is a quiet, sad, and confused kid who was really lost before he met his best friends Sam and Patrick. Once he befriended these unique outcasts, he could really become himself. Friendship can really change your outlook on life and how much you enjoy it, if you have someone to enjoy it with. Charlie became a much happier person after becoming friends with Patrick and Sam, and he started to feel like he belonged somewhere.
Since the first day that Charlie met Sam, he knew she was something special. He loved Sam more than anything, but he knew that they were just supposed to be friends. At the end of the book their friendship changes into something more than friendship, and they become closer than ever. It goes to show that you can be friends with anyone, doesn't what age or gender, and who knows, maybe even more than friendship.
Charlie and Patrick become friends quickly and their friendship only gets stronger as the story goes on. They share their secrets, and share fun and bad memories. Charlie is accepting of Patrick's homosexuality and it doesn't change the way that Charlie sees him. Friends don't judge their friends based on anything like sexuality, true friends love their friends for who they are, and thats the Charlie was with Patrick. Charlie loves Patrick for who he is and Patrick does the same for Charlie.
"We accept the love we think we deserve" (24).
This quote is significant because I think that it really helped Charlie understand that in order to be loved by other people you need to love yourself. Charlie never thought of himself as a wonderful person, just an emotional freak. But when Patrick told him this it really helped him with how he saw himself and others. It made him think about his sister and her abusive boyfriend, did she think that she deserved that? It made him wonder why she accepted that kind of love when he thought that she deserved more. With this quote Charlie started accepting the love he truly deserved.
"Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite" (39).
The fact that Charlie feels "infinite" with these two really shows that he has never felt like this before and its the happiest he's ever been. He's found people he can joke with and have fun with, he's made friends that will last him a life time. He feels infinite when he's with them, he feels like he could last forever with them. Sam and Patrick give Charlie the feeling of happiness that will always be with him. This entire novel revolves around their friendship and how they make it through everything and how they will be there for each other forever. To Infinity and beyond.
"I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere" (198).
This quote is significant because this is the moment when Charlie finally knew he belonged somewhere, and that he meant a lot to his friends. After feeling like he didn't belong anywhere or with anyone for a long time, he finally felt that he did. Between Sam and Patrick he felt at home and he was the happiest he had been in a long time. Having friends who care about him are super important for someone like Charlie who has gone through so much and has done so little about it. Sam and Patrick mean everything to Charlie because they have given him something nobody else has been able to give him, a sense a belonging and purpose.
Friendship shown in The Perks of Being a Wallflower
In the beginning of the novel, friendship can be seen as sort of a life line for Charlie. Without becoming friends with Patrick, Sam, and Bill he might not have able to make it through his first year of high school. Towards the middle of the book friendship really introduces Charlie to new things. He has his first date, his first kiss, his first experiences with drugs and alcohol (not all are great things), and just learning how to have fun. Learning things from your friends is very important, and Charlie really got to know his friends throughout the novel. At the end of the novel Charlie realizes the pain of having let your friends go. Although they don't leave forever (just graduating high school) Charlie still has to get used to them not being there. It shows how much their friendship means to Charlie and how they will always be there for each no matter how far away they are. The theme of friendship in the novel is shown throughout the whole story, its the most important thing to Charlie and it helps him get through a lot.
Why did these friendships happen?
Sam and Patrick could see that Charlie really needed friends to talk to. They saw something very special in Charlie and they became the closest of friends. When Charlie becomes friends with his English teacher Bill, it's because Bill (like Sam and Patrick) saw something in him. Bill knew he could help Charlie by giving him extra attention and some great books for him to read. Charlie needed friends and those three saw that.
How The Perks of Being a Wallflower is similar to the Poem, To my Oldest Friend Whose Silence is like a Death
Both the poem and the book explain the pain caused by loosing friend, either by losing touch or by death. They both show how difficult it can be and how it effects your life drastically.
Does Time period matter?
In this book the time period doesn't really matter, plus the author does not tell readers the time period at all throughout the book. I think that this helps readers in any generation connect with the characters without feeling like the characters are too old fashioned.