Wallflower Censorship

Imagine you enter your school’s library and try to find a book a friend recommended to you because of its relevance to your age group. After being unable to find the book, go to the librarian and ask for help. They tell you that the book has been pulled from the shelves because it contains sexual, drugs, and other factors that have been deemed inappropriate. Even though you are knowledgeable to a degree about each topic due to open access to the world, you are still denied the ability to read the book. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a story composed of fictional letters addressed to an anonymous reader. The letters follow the story of the main character, Charlie, and his freshman year of high school, dealing

Before we can begin to dive into understanding the conflict regarding this book and the potential censorship needed for different age groups, we need to understand how and why books are banned. Ever since written literature has become widespread through publishing, the conflict of whether written works can be allowed in specific locations or even have the right to exist has been contested. In modern America, many schools oppose books on the basis that either they contain content that is not suited for students or they contain factually inaccurate information (How do books get banned?). From this point, the school district can make the motion to pull books off the library shelves and prevent librarians from ordering similar ones. As to whether this is morally and constitutionally right, this is another issue. Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) was a notable case brought to the Supreme Court led by a group of students arguing that removing books and restricting access to their contents was a violation of the First

One of the most common reasons for banning it is a two-page-long rape scene depicting a presumably drunk girl being forced upon by a presumably drunk boy. Throughout the altercation, the girl is depicted crying and pleading with her stating, “Please. Dave. No.” (Chbosky 30). While a hard subject to talk about, it is a very real crime that happens repeatedly in our society. To censor the media that depicts it would be censoring the crime itself and preventing the newer generations from learning and understanding why it is such a terrible act to perform. Another common reason for banning this book is the presence of physical abuse in the form of Charlie’s sister’s abusive boyfriend. Shortly into the start of the book, Charlie describes his sister and her boyfriend, as well as how often they argue. He details how during one argument her boyfriend “wound up [his hand] and hit her hard across the face” (Chbosky 11). We see through the story that even after being found out and forbidden by her parents, they continue to date in secret until he refuses to take responsibility for her accidental pregnancy and dumps