The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Comparative Essay

Sophia Flowers

Professor Brandt

ENGL 168

17 February 2023

Walter and Charlie: The Wallflowers The 1939 short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and the 2012 film The Perks of Being a Wallflower have much more in common than meets the eye. Walter Mitty and Charlie Kelmeckis, though at drastically different points in their lives, are both outsiders in their worlds, looking for an escape. The themes shared between these two stories include: the dissatisfaction in life and the escape from it, the meaning of masculinity, and journeys of self-discovery.

In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” we follow the day of a middle-aged man running errands and interacting with his wife. It’s clear that Walter’s life is mundane and dull, so to combat

It is revealed in the previous year, Charlie struggled greatly with his mental health after the suicide of his best friend. Charlie is determined to start fresh and make friends, and he’s taken under the wing of two seniors, Patrick and Sam. They help him to discover the meanings of love and friendship, and the blessing that is “good music.” Meanwhile, Charlie develops a close relationship with his English teacher, who encourages him to read from the best writers, inspiring him to become a writer himself. However, since all his new friends are seniors and he’s a freshman, the impending threat of them leaving for college weighs on Charlie throughout the

His father and older brother uphold the same ideas that Walter has, that a man must be tough and never show any weakness. This is seen at the beginning of the story, Charlie’s father is talking about Derek, his sister’s boyfriend. He ridicules Derek for being sensitive and quiet, both things that describe Charlie. It’s revealed that the women in Charlie’s family are often abused by the men, and it's normalized among them. It leaves Charlie to wonder if this is what it means to be a man. Charlie’s most positive male role models are his friend Patrick, and his English teacher, Mr. Anderson. They are both kind people, who are in tune with their emotions, which combats what the men in Charlie’s family exhort. Walter has already grown up, so the audience can see the effect of what he’s learned masculinity to be. Charlie is growing up, so he is in the process of learning what it means to him and how he chooses to reflect this going forward.

Self-discovery and identity play a huge role in both protagonists. Walter feels stuck in his prosaic life and feels that his true identity is not one to give focus to, so he looks to his imagination to find different versions of himself. In this way, Walter employs the idea that you can be whoever you want if you make it so. Ultimately, the men he creates for himself are who he internally identifies with, even if he doesn’t have the means