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The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Essay

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The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Essay
In the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, the stories of many teenagers living in the early 1990s are retold. Their stories reveal how challenging high school can be. From family problems to drug and alcohol consumption, these teenagers overcome many coming of age obstacles. As if turning sixteen was not challenging enough, Charlie deals with friends passing away, fitting in, and maintaining good grades. Charlie’s life may have changed drastically from age fifteen to age sixteen, but the changes that his family and friends experience have just begun. On the surface, Charlie’s family appears to be a typical family consisting of the normal mother, father, and three kids. Although they meet the standard family …show more content…
Whether it be cigarettes, booze, pot, or LSD, Charlie just cannot say no. His friends do not peer pressure him into doing anything he does not want to do. They just encourage it. The end result is not good. Charlie and his friends turn to drugs and alcohol in times of boredom and depression. When Brad refuses to talk to Patrick about their relationship, Patrick turns to alcohol as a solution. For weeks, Patrick and Charlie go out and drink. The habit of turning to alcohol for the answer to everything is not something you want a sixteen year old to pick up on. But alcohol is not the worst thing Charlie and his friends partake in. They all are really into smoking cigarettes. Charlie’s English teacher even gives Charlie a pamphlet on how to quit smoking. These teenagers participate in these activities so often that it is hard to understand how their parents do not know about it. Maybe if they did know, their children would not be victims of substance …show more content…
The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York, NY: Gallery Books, 1999. Print.
Inc, HubPages. "CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT LOVE????????" HubPages. N.p., 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://nayberry.hubpages.com/hub/CAN--WE-LIVE--WITHOUT--LOVE_2
Inc, Shmoop University. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Shmoop. N.p., 2007. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://www.shmoop.com/perks-of-being-a-wallflower/
Inc, WebMD. "Read What Your Physician Is Reading on Medscape." EMedicineHealth. N.p., 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
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