Novelists who aim to appeal to teens have two pathways they can take: they can appeal to the mundane, silly melodramatic aspects of being a teenager or they can take a deeper approach and introduce them to more adult-like ways of thinking. Novels like twilight, though popular, fail to enrich our youth. Other novels, like Perks of Being a Wallflower, tackle more important issues and challenge our youth to think about life deeper than the surface level. Though novels are meant to entertain, they can do even greater things like inform, educate, impact, and connect. Teens don’t have to know they are being taught important life lessons and it’s especially easy when you secretly hide them behind interesting plots and enticing words. There is an epidemic of novelists who are cranking out novels through a money-making machine rather than from the creative centers of the mind. As a result, there are few modern novels that actually set out to beneficially impact our youth, but there are still many hidden gems out there that aim to do so. Here are ten reasons why Perks of Being a Wallflower is at the forefront of this revolution and why we need more books like it and less books like Twilight:
1. It’s not afraid to explore deeper emotional concepts. Where most teen-based novels hide in the confides of goofy humor and high school cliches, Perks of Being a Wallflower focuses more on the emotional turmoils and difficult decisions that teens can be faced with. We typically are taught to hide our bad emotions and truthful feelings from the world at a young age, but Perks of Being a Wallflower encourages adolescents to confide in and open up to others. Here are some examples of how Charlie, the main character’s, words show adolescents that it’s okay to have “negative” emotions and to speak and think about deep emotional concepts.
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
“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.”
“So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
2. It discourages “macho man” syndrome and encourages boys to be more in touch with their feelings. Though books like Twilight show us that men can be romantic, it still highlights their egos and focuses more on society’s warped view on what it means to be “manly.” Perks of Being A Wallflower discourages all of this by introducing characters who are more in touch with their inner emotions and shows that it’s okay to feel certain emotions that our society has deemed to be “unmanly,” such as sadness or fear.
Here is a quote from Charlie that showcases this:
“It’s much easier to not know things sometimes. Things change and friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody. I wanted to laugh. Or maybe get mad. Or maybe shrug at how strange everybody was, especially me. I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and than make the choice to share it with other people. You can’t just sit their and put everybody’s lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can’t. You have to do things. I’m going to do what I want to do. I’m going to be who I really am. And I’m going to figure out what that is. And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn’t do or what they didn’t know. I don’t know. I guess there could always be someone to blame. It’s just different. Maybe it’s good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there. Because it’s okay to feel things. I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite. I feel infinite.”
3. It shows teens that mental disorders are not abnormal but are rather common. Mental disorders are very common in the population and a lot of the time we paint them as this taboo thing we shouldn’t mention or talk about. Perks of Being a Wallflower shows teens that they are not alone and most of all that it’s okay to talk about the feelings or symptoms they are experiencing. A lot of the time we says things to kids like, “Oh, you are just being dramatic. That’s normal teen stuff.” But, most of the time we should be listening to them and taking the time to help them through their troubles. Charlie particularly showcases how teens struggle with depression, trauma, and even suicidal tendencies. These are all problems we should encourage our kids to be outward about rather than making them feel like they have to bottle up their feelings and emotions. Books like Twilight highlight the mundane, trivial issues that teens face and it does it through a fantasy world that isn’t easy for kids to connect to, but Perks is more about the real world and serious problems that really acquire our attention.
4. It promotes the acceptance of others. With characters who have differing opinions and values, it is obvious that conflict will arise. But, Perks shows us that despite all these differences we can still be kind to others. It even promotes the acceptance of same-sex relationships. Overall, it shows us that we should be accepting of individuals and their differences.
5. It explores the true meaning of love. Love is a concept that many teenagers have an issue grasping. It’s one that even adults have trouble grasping. But, there is a general idea of what it means to be in love. Love isn’t about just being together; it’s about accepting each other, even despite their flaws (that is unless their flaws are terrible of course). The main thing you can take about love from Perks is that it heals, even some of the deepest of traumas. Though love is a concept that takes a lifetime to understand, it can show teens what it means to be in a good, healthy relationship. It touches on issues like emotional, sexual, and physical abuse and let’s kids know that it’s okay to be strong against those who hurt us. In a healthy relationship, a person does not abuse you. Some teens make excuses for the ones they love, as do adults, but Perks lets them know that it’s okay to speak up. It also shows us that we deserve more. Sam, Charlie’s crush, puts herself in bad relationship after bad relationship because she feels she doesn’t deserve more. But, Charlie shows her that she deserves way more. Their love story shows us what a healthy relationship means. Patrick who is having a relationship with a star quarterback at school shows teens that it’s okay to be yourself and if someone can’t love you for that then you should just walk away from the situation. It gives teens many valuable lessons in the realm of love. Most of all it shows kids that love isn’t a fantasy like books like twilight so often try to sell to teens. This showcases what I mean:
From Twilight:
Edward: “Besides, friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”
Bella: “Drunk?”
Edward: “You’re intoxicated by my very presence.”
Edward: “Are you still faint from the run? Or was it my kissing expertise?”
From Perks of Being a Wallflower:
“We didn’t talk about anything heavy or light. We were just there together. And that was enough”
“If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don’t want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it, too. I want them to be able to do whatever they want around me.”
As you can see Twilight and other teen novels focus on the cutesy, silly aspects of love, whereas Perks takes a more serious, realistic approach.
6. And most of all, it’s okay to be a wallflower. Being popular, though seems like the best thing in the world, isn’t all it is chalked up to be. Having a close group of friends who cherish you for who you are is much more important than being the center of attention. Perks shows that being a wallflower isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It’s okay to be behind-the-scenes and not make a huge splash. And always remember that the quietest people have the loudest minds. Wallflowers have a lot to offer the world and the people around them; they just have a different way of doing things and that’s okay.
Books like Perks of Being a Wallflower focus on concepts that have a greater impact on our youth and they do more than just entertain. They are books for the mind and the heart and we need more of them on the bookshelves. Teens are impressionable, they are in a time of storm & stress, and they need realistic outlets to help them through this highly emotional stage of life. With that said, it is a no-brainer to me that our youth needs less Twilight and more Perks of Being a Wallflower.
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