Around and Around... Statistically, 30% of abused and neglected children will later on abuse their own children, resulting in the cycle of abuse. Charlie, the main character in Stephen Chbosky's Perks Of Being A Wallflower, is a victim of this cycle. Even after being traumatized by someone close to him in his family, he decides that this abusive cycle should end with him. The intro song to Charlie's playlist ‘Around and Around’ is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality” (0:00) Escapism is a method many people use to cope with their problems. In this context, there is NO escape from this. Queen makes it clear that sometimes we question what's real and what's not in …show more content…
I like to think of this song from Charlie's perspective to his aunt helen. At the end of the book Charlie says, “I guess we are the way we are for a lot of reasons..But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.” (Chbosky 211) Charlie does not want to be labeled as someone who was sexually abused, but he knows that it IS a small part of him. He also knows that his Aunt Helen was a victim of sexual abuse and even if there is NO acception for sexual abuse, he still feels as if there is no one to blame. “It's like if I blamed my aunt Helen, I would have to blame her dad for hitting her and the friend of the family that fooled around with her when she was little..” (Chbosky 211) The third track on Charlie's mixtape is Motion sickness by Phoebe bridgers. This song represents Charlie's emotions throughout the book. “I hate you for what you did And I miss you like a little kid I faked it every time, but that's alright I can hardly feel anything, I hardly feel anything at all”