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  • Essay / Crucial Themes of the Film The Perks of Being a Wallflower

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a film based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky. It features a socially awkward boy named Charlie who tries his best to fit in at high school, after a traumatic childhood. Perks is a coming-of-age movie that depicts many of the issues teenagers face today. Some of these issues include peer pressure and the desire to conform, various elements of abuse, and sexuality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Peer pressure is one of the main themes that is constant throughout the novel, as well as in many of the characters. Charlie and Brad are two characters particularly victims of peer pressure. Charlie, in order to be accepted by Sam and Patrick's group of friends, uses several drugs and takes up the habit of smoking and drinking. Because his friends Sam and Patrick smoked and took drugs regularly, he did the same, wanting to conform to their group of friends. Patrick was also uninformed about various drugs, which caused him serious harm. An example of this is when he took LSD at a Christmas party, which landed him in the hospital after passing out in the snow. Brad conforms to society by refusing to acknowledge his sexuality. Unlike Charlie, however, his situation is more detrimental to his life if he chooses to come out and alienate himself, as his friends and father are homophobic. The consequences of both of them trying to repress their sexuality and exploring it with Patrick are to the detriment of not only him but Patrick as well. When his father discovered Brad and Patrick in bed together, he became furious and beat him like crazy. Brad then, ashamed and humiliated, attacked Patrick. He was influenced by peer pressure to fight with Patrick and his friends. In this movie we see several characters involved in peer pressure, some are peer pressurers while others are being pressured. Most of these characters give in and conform instead of being alienated because of their morality. which is realistic for the majority of adolescents. By depicting Charlie and Brad suffering the consequences of giving in to peer pressure, it can have an effect on the audience who are currently facing the same problem. One of the most popular quotes from the film is "We accept the love we think we deserve." ". The reason this is so infamous might be because many people identify with this quote. Either they or someone they know has been in a relationship in which they are capable of much better. In the film, Charlie's sister Candace is slapped in the face by her boyfriend. However, instead of reporting this act, she excuses her abuse by saying "he's not usually like that" or "I was encouraging him", etc. In fact, one in three teens say they know a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, punched, slapped, choked, or physically harmed by their partner. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005). This film addresses this issue by showing audiences that any type of person is capable of being an abusive partner. Chbosky depicted Candace behaving the same way most teenagers would act if they had been mistreated, that is, forgiving their partner. Seeing Candace's failure, the teenagers in the audience will have doubts about the concept of domestic violence. One of Charlie's friends, Patrick, is openly gay. As well as being bullied by his classmates. he also has a secret relationship with Brad.,.