Literary Analysis On Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Psychoanalytical Literary Criticism Essay Charlie the timid and shy main character in the novel Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, has a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder other known as PTSD. Charlie suffers from depression and sadness which can be the result of him being molested from his Aunt Helen, a person who he really trusted at age of 5. Charlie decides to block those memories and experiences out of his mind and does not remember them until later in the novel when he is high school. In more understandable terms, PTSD is when a person experiences or witnesses a horrible traumatic act or event severely that one cannot recover the mental damage. Statistics show that, “In America 7.8% of the population is diagnosed with PTSD, and 10.4%of the women are diagnosed with PTSD while only 5 % of men are”(Sloan 776). PTSD can be triggered if the person is exposed to; violence, threats of violence or sexual abuse, or

In the middle of the novel, Charlie also updated his friend whose name was never mentioned with letters. In these letter Charlie mentioned that he is trying to get better, “I wish I can report that it's all getting better , but unfortunately it isn't. It's hard…”(Chbosky 142). As well as the end of the book, “I've been in the hospital for the past two months… I was completely naked on the couch watching television , which wasn't on”(Chbosky 208). At the very end of the book Charlie says that he will stop writing letter to his friend and will try to live his normal life next year as a sophomore in his school, “Tomorrow I start my sophomore year of high school. And … Im really not afraid of going. Im not sure if I will have time to write anymore letters because I might be to busy trying to Participate.”(Chbosky