The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“Asleep” by The Smiths

• a 1985 song by the British band The Smiths that Charlie references
• a song about wanting to die
• connects to the theme of coming of age and moral ambiguity, and the motif of music

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

• a classic novel from 1951
• compare and contrast with Charlie’s journey, especially as he becomes more and more emotionally unstable
• connects to the theme of coming of age and moral ambiguity and the motif of books

“Speaking of the Future, Hamlet” by Mary Jo Bang

• a poem referencing Hamlet, which Charlie reads
• connects to themes of family, friends, and identity and coming of age and moral ambiguity
• compare and contrast with Charlie’s journey as he transitions from childhood to adulthood

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

• an epistolary novel published in 1982
• echoes themes of the secrecy of abuse and molestation
• like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it also appears on the American Library Association’s 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books 2000-2009 list 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• a 1960 novel that Charlie references
• connects to the theme of coming of age and moral ambiguity as well as the motif of books

“The Young Man’s Song” by W.B. Yeats

• a poem about coming of age and falling in love
• compare to how Charlie thinks about his love for Sam

Dear Evan Hansen

• a 2021 movie directed by Stephen Chbosky adapted from a Tony award-winning musical
• connects to the themes of family, friends, and identity and the motif of music

Other Student Resources

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

• 2012 adaptation of the novel
• highlights the same themes: coming of age and moral ambiguity; family, friends, and identity; and the secrecy of abuse and molestation
• encourage students to compare and contrast the book and the film

Indigo Interview with Stephen Chbosky

• interview with Stephen Chbosky
• allows students to get a sense of Chbosky’s thoughts on his novel and different elements of the story

The Rocky Horror Picture Show trailer

• two-minute trailer for The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• gives students a better understanding of The Rocky Horror Picture Show as a motif

Teacher Resources

“Writing through Growth, Growth through Writing” by Angel Daniel Matos

• The ALAN Review article from 2013 discussing The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• analyzes elements of coming of age and the referenced books as Charlie develops throughout the novel

Spotlight on Censorship—The Perks of Being a Wallflower

• blog post from the American Library Association
• discusses the reasons that The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been banned, many of which relate to the theme of the secrecy of molestation and abuse