The Perks of Being a Wallflower Options

[nightsong]

I will be impressed if you take the time to actually read all of this.

Dear friend,

I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have. Please don't try to figure out who she is because then you might figure out who I am, and I really don't want you to do that. I will call people by different names or generic names because I don't want you to find me. I didn't enclose a return address for the same reason. I mean nothing bad by this. Honest.

I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist.

I think you of all people would understand that because I think you of all people are alive and appreciate what that means. At least I hope you do because other people look to you for strength and friendship and it's that simple. At least that's what I've heard.

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.

Full Excerpt

I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower = One of my favorite books

I recommend this book to anyone who hasn`t already read it.

Did anyone else like this book/fall in love with the main character?

xo, Pauline

[bowl_of_oranges]

to word guy

'the time it started to feel like everything was going to be alright was when my sister and brother stayed after my parents had left...they asked me a lot of questions about Aunt Helen because i guess nothing had ever hapened to them...It was at that time that things started to get clearer becasue there was nobody to hate anymore after that.'


and to you this means what exactly? and just to clarify i'm not asking to be picky, i genuinely want to know what you think. and i realise i could easily be wrong. except for that i think you're wrong. also because you keep using metaphors for what appear to be purely pretentious reasons and this makes me sad inside.

and i don't know but maybe you havent read the book in a while or maybe you've never really taken it in. so maybe go read it through with an open mind before you reply?

[W0RD]

to word guy

'the time it started to feel like everything was going to be alright was when my sister and brother stayed after my parents had left...they asked me a lot of questions about Aunt Helen because i guess nothing had ever hapened to them...It was at that time that things started to get clearer becasue there was nobody to hate anymore after that.'
and to you this means what exactly? and just to clarify i'm not asking to be picky, i genuinely want to know what you think. and i realise i could easily be wrong. except for that i think you're wrong. also because you keep using metaphors for what appear to be purely pretentious reasons and this makes me sad inside.

and i don't know but maybe you havent read the book in a while or maybe you've never really taken it in. so maybe go read it through with an open mind before you reply?

Honestly, I did not know what “pretentious” meant. I looked it up, & I now I know. & sorry you think that. Better yet, I'm sorry it made you sad inside. Kinda.. eh, I'm really not. But, sorry seems like the appropriate thing to say. & maybe his brother & sister were asking him questions about aunt Helen because they knew he had been closer to her than they had. Maybe? & who did he have left to hate? Sean, who he got into a fight with, never confronted him again. Craig made amends with Sam, & Brad made amends with Patrick. & most importantly, he's made amends with himself. As some guy said a bunch of posts before my initial post, he didn't “psycho-analyze” himself until the end of the book, well.. his last letter. In this analyzation, he came to accept that he was not the direct cause of his aunt Helen's death. He came to accept that Sam would be leaving, & he'd have to deal with that. In his analyzation, he came to realize things change, & no matter what it said, these changes will continue regardless.

& uh, define what it means to read with an open mind. If reading with an open mind means that I should train myself to believe that the possibilities of what is being said is endless, I will have to say I chose to read with a closed mind. You can only go so far with analyzing a books meaning. Or, what is being portrayed. Well, I think so. So.. how about you read it again. & try to be a filter, rather than a sponge.