Seehafer
English 11
February 7, 2013
Report 6: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower begins In Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with Charlie. Charlie is a freshman in high school with a horrific graphic past. He endured molestation from his aunt Helen who later died for what fault he thought was his. His best friend shot himself without telling him anything. And finally, he has difficulties adapting to high school life starting out as a wallflower. He meets new friends Patrick, Sam, Mary Elizabeth, and Patrick. All of which classify their group as “the island of misfit toys”. All of which have graphic pasts and trouble with their confidence just like Charlie. They all help each other to understand their pasts should not influence their future, especially when they are capable of so much more.
The Book was narrated in first person from the perspective of Charlie however, the movie really gives the audience an influence of an omniscient narrator. Charlie’s personal entries to his friend (journal) are still displayed in the movie but did not introduce the same amount of significance that the book did. This applies to the rest of the movie too, mainly since the audience is basically given all the information directly without the chance to wonder and predict the next event. For the sake of time, Charlie’s family did not portray as much influence as the book did; his sister was far less involved in his life in the film and nothing more than brief mentions to each other often resulting from her fishy activities. Patrick, Charlie’s friend displays huge comedic values throughout the movie, most of which change his character compared to what the book made him appear as confused and less sociable. Many who read the book before
watching the movie immediately noticed the song Sam, Patrick, and Charlie play in the truck during the ride through the tunnel changed to “Heroes” by David Bowie instead of “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac which was detailed in the book. This is a small difference but left a lasting impression. One of the most major differences between the movie and book is the very influential poem that Charlie writes to Patrick. It is understandable that this was not in the film since it does not actually have much relation to the rest of the story and it would have been difficult to read such a long poem. However, it would have better displayed the growing closeness between all of their friends.
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