The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Part 4 Summary & Analysis

By observing those around him, Charlie hopes to figure out what’s going on with himself and how to handle it. The tough-looking older kid helping a lost little boy illustrates that people are much more than their outward appearance, and perhaps that Charlie sees himself as a lost little boy in need of guidance. As Charlie watches the little boy with his mom, he seems to long for that care and easy connection with a parent. Looking for someone to bond with over his lingering grief, Charlie doesn’t realize that maybe Susan is coping in her own way, and Charlie’s blunt question catches her off guard. Charlie’s attempt to be vulnerable with her in that moment only results in making him feel even more like an outcast.   

Brad’s fears about being open about his sexuality are shown to have been justified, given his father’s violent reaction. Yet again, another person in Charlie’s life is a victim of familial abuse. Again, Charlie is unsure of how to demonstrate his care in a tricky situation, so he chooses to do so passively. Charlie turns to reading once more to lose himself in someone else’s story.

Perhaps because he wants to protect himself by pushing Patrick away, Brad publicly hurls a cruel, homophobic slur at Patrick. Brad, taking after his father, uses violence to deal with his problems. Once again, Charlie uses his fighting skills to solve a conflict, though this time to protect a friend. Despite his earlier behavior, Brad’s gratitude to Charlie indicates that he still cares about Patrick. While Charlie is punished by the school this time for fighting, he is rewarded for saving Patrick by regaining acceptance into the friend group.

Mary Elizabeth’s comments annoy Charlie, but also demonstrate that maybe their relationship could have gone much differently if Charlie had asserted himself and participated more. Patrick’s decision to quit playing Frank ‘N Furter suggest that the joy in being more open about his sexual orientation—as the character allows him to do—is diminished as a result of the conflict with Brad. Clearly having lost some of his faith in people, Patrick declares that everyone is really the same, and any differences are just superficial.

Always a giver and supporter in relationships, Charlie passively spends time with his friend, but isn’t honest with Patrick about his concerns. Patrick’s choice to listen to the tape from Charlie shows that he feels the support and care Charlie put into the tape, and, as Charlie had hoped, the tape is helping Patrick get through this “bad time.” Charlie’s reasoning for letting Patrick kiss him once again illustrates his misunderstanding of how true friendship works. He thinks passively putting others’ needs before his demonstrates friendship more than simply being honest would.

While he continues passively supporting Patrick, Charlie learns a lot about the secretive gay community. He doesn’t seem to realize it when an older man is clearly trying to pick him up, however. Unexpectedly hearing his brother’s name mentioned during this experience perhaps makes Charlie forget where he is and what’s happening. Because of his time with Patrick, Charlie becomes more aware of and sympathetic to the struggles of gay men, many of whom feel they have to conduct their relationships in the shadows. The secretive pick-up culture contributes to added health and safety risks, as Patrick points out.

Something about seeing Brad with someone else at the park triggers a change in Patrick and he tosses the alcohol away almost as if to say that he doesn’t need it anymore. Because he doesn’t kiss Charlie anymore, perhaps he also realizes that the kisses weren’t helping either.

Instead of making his own end-of-the-year plans, Charlie is fixated on everyone else’s lives. Bill’s decision to continue teaching instead of moving to New York suggests that he is feeling fulfilled in his current work. He incorporates films into their extra assignments as a way of exposing Charlie to critically thinking about stories presented through different media. Though he gives Charlie some preliminary guidance before he reads the books, Bill largely allows Charlie to experience and think through the stories on his own.

For the first time, Charlie mentions background information on the author of the book Bill gives him, suggesting that he’s developing a stronger interest in the writers behind the stories and identifying with them. He attempts to write the beginning of a book and can’t figure out where to go with it, not realizing that he’s been writing his story all along in his letters. Instead of living in his present moment, Charlie daydreams about moments he thinks will make him happy three years from now. However, it’s a positive development that Charlie feels excited about the future.

Though he genuinely feels happy for his friends and their accomplishments for getting into their desired colleges, he also recognizes those accomplishments mean a new chapter in their lives—one he doesn’t get to experience along with them. The literature he reads helps him start to understand what Bill meant when telling Charlie to participate: that one can love and support their friends, but first they must live for themselves. Though Charlie feels that these realizations are significant, his psychiatrist’s focus on his childhood memories suggests to the reader that the psychiatrist suspects there’s something even more important there that Charlie doesn't realize yet. 

Celebrating other’s joy makes Charlie happy, too. The three of them running off after the sunset represents both the freedom and excitement they feel, but the sunset also represents that something is coming to an end. For the moment, that feels good to Charlie. Patrick’s decision to play Frank ‘N Furter one last time implies that he’s feeling more like his old self, but also ready to move on to new things after this last performance. The growing bond between Charlie and his sister is implied with her attendance at the performance, as Charlie invites her into that community, and it gives them another experience to share.

Charlie’s ability to choose just the right music is recognized again, making him feel validated and in tune with the people around him. Charlie’s day at school without his friends provides just a small example of what the next three years could be like once they go away to college. Though it doesn’t help much, his mom’s gesture of kindness with the sandwich shows the small ways in which she tries to show him affection. While Charlie worries about how he’ll get through the days without his friends, Bill’s invitation offers Charlie an essential connection with someone who will still be around.

Not getting to experience it for himself, Charlie has to hear about all the fun second-hand. According to the story, Craig seems to have made a decision for the group and then resented them for not appreciating that decision, and furthermore, he prevents Sam from enjoying her after-prom experience with her friends. The discovery of Craig’s cheating confirmed Charlie’s earlier suspicions that he didn’t appreciate Sam. In this moment, there’s a strong parallel between Craig and Charlie’s brother, both of whom cheated on their girlfriends, which suggests that they feel entitled to relationships with women without feeling any sense of duty to be respectful or honest with them.

Though the conflict here stems primarily from dishonesty, both Charlie and Patrick decide that the kinder option for Sam in this situation is partial honesty and protection from the whole truth. Their choice demonstrates that in some circumstances the full truth can only do more damage. In addition to all the other secrets he carries, this is yet another secret that Charlie holds for the people he loves. Charlie’s belief that he must really love Sam because her happiness is more important than his contradicts his earlier realization about living first for himself before sharing his life with others. He seems to struggle to apply his knew knowledge to his relationships.

Bill’s house mirrors the atmosphere that Bill himself creates—warm, gentle, and inviting. As perhaps the most important male authority figure in Charlie’s life, Bill sets a positive example for Charlie, showing that men can also be sensitive, smart, and openly appreciative of one another. Clearly Bill knows that Charlie doesn’t receive enough validation, and his praise of Charlie is perhaps the most significant interaction he’s had with an adult since his aunt died.

Again, Bill and his girlfriend embody warmth and are more affectionate with Charlie than his own family. Aside from his friends, Bill is the first person in a long time to make Charlie feel “seen,” and replaces his Aunt Helen as his primary adult influence. Charlie’s decision to go shopping for his friends illustrates his efforts to feel connected to them even when they’re apart.

Even after a full year of school, Charlie still doesn’t know where he belongs, especially since his friends are leaving. The bus ride prompts him to confront this lack of belonging in a small way. He notices the changes in other people, but—perhaps because he feels somewhat in the same place he was at the beginning of the year—Charlie doesn’t consider how different he looks. Charlie’s dilemma in having to tell a partial truth about meeting the TV anchor further demonstrates that his experiences with Patrick and his relationship with his brother are two aspects of his life that likely can never overlap.

The dynamic between Charlie’s grandfather and brother suggests that the two traditionally masculine men understand each other in a way that no one else understands them. Both men manage surprising displays of compassion when they feel proud of their family members.

The gifts that Charlie’s brother and Charlie give to their sister further illustrate how vastly different their characters are. Both care about their sister, but Charlie’s brother, like his father, shows care through financial support while Charlie demonstrates his affection with an extremely thoughtful, creative, and personal present. While he’s alone in the tunnel this time, Charlie recognizes how good the passage feels, and feels excited for the transition that the tunnel represents, suggesting perhaps he’s starting to embrace his adolescence more and more.

Charlie and Sam’s romantic dance implies that there are still feelings between them—definitely on Charlie’s end and maybe for Sam, too. Again, Charlie gives stories to communicate his love for others, this time all of his favorite books from Bill. Charlie is sharing these important parts of his growth and self-discovery with his two favorite people. Sam’s confession that she is also scared of being alone helps Charlie recognize that those feelings aren’t abnormal, and she demonstrates for him how to ask for help and support when it’s needed.

While the kid’s insult may have bothered Charlie more at the beginning of the year, his reaction to it now suggests that he’s acquired a little more confidence over the year. Charlie’s rejection from his locker neighbor imply that his quest to make new friends likely won’t be easy, but spending time with his current friends distracts him from that upcoming struggle. In a rare moment of validation, Charlie has his academic efforts recognized.

Though she was in an unhealthy relationship with Craig, Sam demonstrates a healthy way of closing that chapter of her life and allowing herself to move on to the next thing. As she, Charlie, and their friends sit and reminisce, they form a sort of collective memory. The memories between Patrick, Sam, and Charlie are particularly significant for Charlie because they were the beginning of relationships that have been life-changing for him. Patrick’s leaving suggests that he understands that Charlie and Sam want to be alone.

After finally articulating for someone his flawed understanding of how relationships work, Sam explains to him that participating in relationships requires honesty and action. This is perhaps the first time that someone else has called out Charlie’s faulty view of relationships and taken the time to help him address it. In explaining these things to Charlie, Sam is demonstrating exactly the kind of honesty she’s talking about. Even though it makes Charlie uncomfortable, she is honest with him because she cares about him.

In this moment, Sam models for Charlie again how to productively recognize a bad relationship and move on from it. She embraces the notion of having a good relationship with oneself before trying to have good relationships with others. The honesty and vulnerability she creates opens up the opportunity for Charlie to do the same. Charlie’s severely negative reaction to an act of consensual intimacy suggests that someone touching his penis has triggered a repressed memory. As he drifts off, he seems to regress into that memory, talking to whomever it was who last touched him that way.

Charlie’s dream provides the first clear indication that his aunt may have sexually abused him. Despite Sam’s kindness and understanding, their experience the night before seems to have brought something traumatic to the surface for Charlie. He draws a parallel between Sam and Aunt Helen when he tells Sam that she’s his best friend, something he previously said about Aunt Helen. Instead of seeking comfort from the rest of his friends after Sam leaves, something about this experience is making him seek isolation.

This time without the help of LSD, Charlie seems to be sinking into a blackout. His letter writing is an attempt to regain control over the situation, as something about ordering the words on the page seems to help him hold it together. But now that he is confronting the memory that his favorite person molested him, his previous coping mechanisms are ineffective. As he sinks further into crisis, his mind plays through the cycles of abuse he’s witnessed as represented by the little boy at the mall who, like many men, could grow up to be another abuser. Even in the midst of crisis, Charlie takes the time to express gratitude to the reader, but his last comment about wasting their time creates tension and suspense. The reader doesn’t know what Charlie will do and is reminded of what happened when Michael no longer felt like he could talk to someone.