Published By: Sougata Dutta

The Celebration Of Life In The Movie 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ centres on Charlie, a junior at High School who is an outsider and a loner.

There are a few moments in life that remain with you, a memory that encapsulates an emotion, a moment, a time in your life that is induced with music or a scent. ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ is one such film that takes you back to that moment in your life. The voice of Charlie will become your voice, his loneliness performs at the chords of your coronary heart that you hid in the deep of your soul.

Characters and their development

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ centres on Charlie, a junior at High School who is an outsider and a loner. As the film unfolds, we discover that he has flashbacks, visions that make him sad; ideas that get ‘bad’. On the assembly with seniors Ezra and Sam, Charlie finds a region he belongs to – an area on the ‘Island of misfits’. His terrible ideas are reduced and he is happy.

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ champions and celebrates inclusivity and tolerance by displaying each how people can blossom when they are accepted for who they are and how painful existence can be for humans, who are ignored or mistreated.

When Charlie enters high school, he is withdrawn. He doesn't try to join with people around him due to the fact he is actively grappling with the pain of the two disturbing deaths he has had to witness. He feels like an outcast and a misfit, and he no longer has people whom he can trust.

Soon, however, Patrick and Sam include Charlie into their group, and Charlie learns what life can be like with strong friends. Charlie’s friends’ participation in ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ genuinely demonstrates how it is always to have a zone in which each person can feel absolutely protected and completely uninhibited.

Finding Life

Participating in one’s personal life is not always a joyful experience. Indeed, participation in life regularly means confronting deep, raw emotions. Many characters in 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' use coping mechanisms to attempt to escape from the harsh realities of life instead of facing the truth. Participation in life means dealing with difficult situations and working through them, instead of avoiding the problems or relying on emotional crutches to limp by.

The ‘Island of Misfits’ is a land of exploration and discovery, a metaphor for the inner excelsior and despair that come as a teenager. Charlie’s eyes are opened to a world where being ‘him’ is acceptable. Individual’s traits are celebrated, weaknesses are nursed. Whether you are a loner, gay, a reformed hoar or a Buddhist, you belong here.