School can seem like a blood bath, and jumping in from the coziness of middle school to the dog eat dog world of high school can seem terrifying. It definitely is for the introverted and socially awkward Charlie, who must navigate through his freshman year of high school. Yet he gets help from his amazing new best friends Patrick and Sam. Charlie experiences many of his firsts, facing head-on the struggles and effects of drug abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide, confused sexuality, mental illness, and more. It’s not pretty, but it’s real. Due to the novel’s delicate material, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky has impacted modern-day society by revealing, not sugarcoating, the truth about common teenage struggles. In order to better explore this topic, the novel’s use of subjects like sexual abuse and individuality must be analyzed. The lives of teenagers aren’t always happy days filled with friends and sunshine. Yet many novelists aren’t too keen on sharing this darker, more realistic perspective on …show more content…
It is not only traumatizing, but can affect them for many years to come. Additionally, popularity can be seen as one of the most important things in an adolescent's life. When they aren’t popular, though, it can lead to The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky show common teenage struggles that aren’t always well represented in modern-day society. Overall, this novel helped society to realize that these issues are real and can’t be sugarcoated. Charlie describes it all, saying “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be” (Chbosky 3). Life is confusing, and this specific work of literature is a valuable in understanding the society of high school. Not everything teenagers face is pretty, and young adult fiction should reflect