The Perks of Being a Wallflower Characters

Charlie, the protagonist of the novel, tells the story of his first year of high school through writing letters to an anonymous friend. At the beginning of the year, he is recovering from his best… read analysis of Charlie

Charlie’s mom’s sister, Helen was Charlie’s favorite aunt, who moved in with Charlie’s family after a string of abusive relationships. At the end of the novel, Charlie realizes that his aunt molested him… read analysis of Aunt Helen

Sam, one of the friends Charlie makes in high school, quickly becomes one of his favorite people, as well as the first girl he falls in love with. Sam is a few years older than… read analysis of Sam

Charlie’s other favorite person, Patrick is a senior at Charlie’s high school and Sam’s stepbrother. Charlie first befriends Patrick at a football game, and Patrick then introduces Charlie to Sam and the rest… read analysis of Patrick

Although they experience a distant relationship in the beginning of the novel, Charlie and his sister grow closer throughout the year. He initially describes her as pretty, smart, and mean to boys. Charlie’s sister indirectly… read analysis of Charlie’s Sister

Charlie goes on his first date with Mary Elizabeth, a friend of Sam and Patrick’s. She is intelligent, rebellious, and opinionated, and it is with her that Charlie explores his sexuality for the first… read analysis of Mary Elizabeth

Charlie describes his mom as a quiet and beautiful person who rarely opens up, perhaps because she was physically abused by her father as a child. When she became pregnant with Charlie’s older brother… read analysis of Charlie’s Mom

Charlie’s dad was also physically abused as a child, and that experience made him strongly averse to physical punishment of any kind with his own children. Despite his commitment to nonviolence, however, Charlie’s dad… read analysis of Charlie’s Dad

A football star at Penn State, Charlie’s brother is the stereotypical example of traditional masculinity: he is aggressive, athletic, homophobic, and only dates “hot” girls. Truly his father’s son, Charlie’s brother demonstrates care by… read analysis of Charlie’s Brother

The father of Charlie’s mom and Aunt Helen, Charlie’s grandfather worked in a mill as a laborer and struggled to make ends meet. When Charlie’s mom and aunt earn Cs on their report… read analysis of Charlie’s Grandfather

Brad is yet another character who experiences familial abuse. He is the senior football quarterback and a popular guy at school who secretly dates Patrick. Brad’s dad beats him after finding him together with… read analysis of Brad

Charlie’s sister casually dates this boy from her school, whom Charlie describes as very nice and respectful. He wears his hair in a ponytail, and makes her hand-decorated mix tapes. One evening, however, he hits… read analysis of Charlie’s Sister’s Boyfriend

Michael was Charlie’s best friend who committed suicide at the end of 8th grade. In the letter that begins the book, Charlie describes what is was like at school after everyone found out about Michael’s… read analysis of Michael