Perks of Being a Wallflower

Infinite.

By definition: limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate.

Don't we all at one point or another want to feel infinite? The moments in your life when you truly feel like you belong, right where you are. In Charlie's case, it could simply be a time when the perfect song comes on the radio.

I've been wanting to read and watch Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky for quite some time and I finally got my hands on it. I'm going to start off by saying its not what I expected. 

Its interesting how the book makes every character completely anonymous, while the movie puts faces with names. I'm a firm believer in reading the book before watching the movie. Normally it tends to disappoint me, but not in this case. The movie did a great job of sticking to the book and giving the characters and setting more substance. I also enjoyed the actors that were chosen for the movie. Emma Watson (Sam) and Logan Lerman (Charlie) were great choices! 

Charlie writes letters to an anonymous friend explaining his world around him. You immediately know when reading these letters that as a freshman in high school, Charlie is different. Different in a naive, almost childish way. Yet, extremely intelligent. Charlie is a wallflower. He meets a group of friends that happen to be "different" just like him, but in their own ways. Prior to meeting them, Charlie had a difficult time finding friends. Charlie finds quality over quantity. Its a lesson that I have always circled back to. The people that are always there for you are your true friends. There is no use in having 100 "friends" if no one is there when you need them, in the best and worst of times. The way the author narrates through the letters in Charlie's naive tone, you are still able to understand what the actual setting is or what other characters are thinking. Not just what Charlie believes. 

One topic I found intriguing was when one of the characters brings up how there are such high standards for things because they have already been done before. "...the problem was that since everything has happened already, it makes it hard to break new ground. Nobody can be as big as the Beatles because the Beatles already gave it a 'context.' The reason they were so big is that they had no one to compare themselves with, so the sky was the limit." Even though times change, this concept does not. I think it applies to sports, pop culture, music, and the people you surround yourself with. We often compare people to others and really, is that fair? I understand that sometimes its just easier to compare when trying to help people relate or understand what you are getting at. But at the same time, we are all different. We are all our own person and shouldn't be limited to what someone thinks we are.  Even if you are a Wallflower. :)

Charlie finds true friendship in Sam and Patrick. There is always that moment in a friendship where something clicks and you know that someone has really been a true friend to you. You can look back on everything that you have been through together and know. Charlie travels through a year of high school, "participating" for a better quality of his life. And even still, there is always room for improvement. He learns a lot about himself and finds where he believes he belongs. I would say he found his Infinite. 

If you haven't read it before, put this book on your reading list! A nice, easy read that makes you question and think about different topics, which I find intriguing. The movie won't disappoint you either.