Introduction
In each person’s life, there are events about which they, in consequence, reflect in the future—the various obstacles that had to be overcome or the happy moments that were important to remember. This essay will review the memories of Charlie, the protagonist of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. His experience of the past, expressed by the traumas he remembers, is the essential food for thought for the reader in accepting their fears and mistakes. Through the use of elements such as blanks and flashbacks in the narration, the author, Stephen Chbosky, emphasizes the struggle between acceptance and non-acceptance of various aspects of Charlie’s trauma.
Blanks
In order to characterize the significance of the two narrative methods that Charlie uses in his writings, it is essential to define his state and feelings concerning his past. In the book’s first pages, Charlie writes that he has dual, ambiguous feelings and does not fully understand them (Chbosky, 1999, p. 5). His words best describe this fact: “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” (5).
In this context, it is important to emphasize that blanks and flashbacks reflect Charlie’s confused feelings and only partial acceptance of his traumatic past. His injuries are expressed in events such as the death of his Aunt Helen or the sexual abuse he experienced at an early age (Chbosky, 1999, p. 6). Each Charlie tries to comprehend and analyze, but not everyone can accept it.
Blanks are an example of an injury that Charlie cannot accept. Various attempts at relative avoidance of memories from the past highlight the severe pain that Charlie is not yet ready to understand. For example, as Chbosky (1999) states, “My Aunt Helen was my favorite person in the whole world” (p. 7). Talking about her death remains a significant challenge for Charlie, as reflected in his statements that he does not remember details or does not want to write about them (Chbosky, 1999, p. 8).
Consequently, blanks in the narration represent Charlie’s unwillingness to accept his past, his suffering, and his awareness of his trauma. For the boy himself, analyzing his traumatic past is difficult and tedious. For the reader, however, Charlie’s writings show the confusion of his feelings and the inability to take specific past events despite considerable effort.
Flashbacks
In opposition to blanks, the flashbacks, where Charlie precisely and in detail describes his past experiences, show the parts of his trauma that he could comprehend and accept. Charlie speaks confidently and affirmatively about events such as his time at high school. When he talks about his troubles at school and the people with whom he had negative experiences, he says, “I do not like high school” (p. 9). In doing so, the protagonist, in his flashbacks, quotes other people from the situations he describes (p. 9).
This fact highlights his desire to understand his memories. Hence, it emphasizes that flashbacks are an essential method in the narrative, which is opposed to blanks, and demonstrates Charlie’s ability to deal with his trauma. These writings show the reader what traumas Charlie was able to deal with and accept.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that Charlie’s two approaches to writing his entries in The Perks of Being a Wallflower significantly reflect his internal struggles. The author, Stephen Chbosky, seeks to demonstrate to the reader how the boy’s memory affects his state and thinking. Since Charlie’s traumas are of different importance to him, he prefers to keep silent about some of them and speak about others directly and in detail. The book used blanks and flashbacks for these two types of narrative.
Reference
Chbosky, S. (1999). The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Pocket Books.