Charlie’s Grandfather Character Analysis in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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 cards, Charlie’s grandfather beats them as his way of motivating them to do better. Deeply racist and homophobic, Charlie’s grandfather also fears open emotions and cannot communicate care to his children except through violence. He regularly offends his family members, and only shows warmth once in the novel towards Charlie’s sister after she graduates from high school among the top of her class. Charlie’s grandfather is representative of the men who carry the burden of financially supporting their families but who lack the emotional literacy to develop relationships with them.

Charlie’s Grandfather Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The The Perks of Being a Wallflower quotes below are all either spoken by Charlie’s Grandfather or refer to Charlie’s Grandfather. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Trauma, Abuse, and Mental Health Theme Icon

).

When we were all getting ready to leave, I walked up to my grandfather and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He wiped my lip print off with his palm and gave me a look. He doesn’t like the boys in the family to touch him. But I’m very glad that I did it anyway in case he dies. I never got to do that with my Aunt Helen.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Aunt Helen, Charlie’s Grandfather

Page Number and Citation: 60

Explanation and Analysis:

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. And the person that fooled around with him. And God for not stopping all this and things that are much worse. And I did do that for a while, but then I just couldn't anymore. Because it wasn't going anywhere. Because it wasn't the point.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Aunt Helen, Charlie’s Grandfather

Page Number and Citation: 211

Explanation and Analysis:

Charlie’s Grandfather Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The The Perks of Being a Wallflower quotes below are all either spoken by Charlie’s Grandfather or refer to Charlie’s Grandfather. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).

When we were all getting ready to leave, I walked up to my grandfather and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He wiped my lip print off with his palm and gave me a look. He doesn’t like the boys in the family to touch him. But I’m very glad that I did it anyway in case he dies. I never got to do that with my Aunt Helen.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Aunt Helen, Charlie’s Grandfather

Page Number and Citation: 60

Explanation and Analysis:

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. And the person that fooled around with him. And God for not stopping all this and things that are much worse. And I did do that for a while, but then I just couldn't anymore. Because it wasn't going anywhere. Because it wasn't the point.

Related Characters: Charlie (speaker), Aunt Helen, Charlie’s Grandfather

Page Number and Citation: 211

Explanation and Analysis:

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Charlie’s Grandfather Character Analysis

Charlie’s Grandfather Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Charlie’s Grandfather Quotes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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