The novel “The perks of being a wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky is a short but enticing novel about the life of a boy named Charlie. The novel is written in a first person narrative and similar style to that of “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger and the readers get to experience a life changing year with Charlie. The author, Stephen Chbosky uses cultural and literary references throughout the novel to deepen the meaning of the themes in his book, they allow the reader to perceive Charlie’s experience as a teenage boy enduring life’s challenges and adapting to life. The allusions also allow the reader to more deeply comprehend the setting and time period of the novel, the songs and films are very much interlocked with the culture of the 90’s and therefore with Chbosky’s use of all these cultural references the readers are reaffirmed of the time setting with more understanding of what Charlie discovers in his coming of age.

Coming of age is a very significant theme in this particular novel. The protagonist, Charlie, is about to embark on a stereotypical coming of age event: the start of high school. Significantly the first allusion is to the Pulitzer Prize winner “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. This book is the foundation of Charlie’s literary education as well as introducing the theme of coming of age. “To Kill a Mockingbird” has significant themes to Charlie, the most important being youth, as Lee’s novel shows a child’s perspective on adult events. This is a