Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Mr. Anonymous (a.k.a. Charlie) never tells us where he lives. No return address, nothing. Well, Charlie, you can't fool us. We here at Shmoop are literary detectives, and we think we've figured you...
Narrator Point of View
This is Charlie's story, through and through. His letters give us an intimate look into his life, his thoughts, his hopes, his fears, and his all-too-often fragile mental state. And Charlie seems l...
Genre
Just Say YAMost young adult literature shows off its coming-of-age chops, and Perks doesn't let us down in that department. Get your pens ready for our coming-of-age checklist, because this one has...
What's Up With the Title?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower might as well come with a question mark at the end. Patrick describes Charlie's wallflower nature at the end of Part 1: "You see things. You keep quiet about them...
What's Up With the Ending?
If the ending of Perks were a cupcake, it would be a dark depressing chocolate with sprinkles of optimism. Charlie's been in the hospital for two months after his repressed memories of molestation...
Tough-o-Meter
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is made up of letters written by a fifteen-year-old, albeit one with near-perfect grammar and spelling. Charlie's mad English skills make his letters easily readable...