Group+3+Meeting+One

= Meeting One: = Describe the main characters in your text. What makes them interesting? What is their story or background? Why are you drawn to them? Conversely, are there any characters that you just cannot stand? Why not?

**Characters:** //Charlie:// Charlie is the main character in the story, which is told as a series of letters that he addresses to an unknown individual. Charlie is a freshman in a new high school; his best friend, Michael, committed suicide that same year. Charlie is very easy to relate to because he is realistic. He is interesting because the way he thinks is different and unique; his writing style and the fact that he is a wallflower make him an intriguing character. He is observant but quiet; he notices everything but does not talk about it. This is especially evident when Charlie gives all of his new friends thoughtful Christmas gifts. Charlie hates phonies but loves reading and writing. In fact, his English teacher, Bill, gives him extra reading and writing assignments to encourage his skills. Bill also encourages Charlie to take part in school activities more often instead of being alone all of the time. Charlie also enjoys walking to school so that he can see and enjoy nature, and listening to music. After befriending both Patrick and Sam, Charlie develops a crush on Sam. The three of them attend parties with their other friends and simply enjoy life to the fullest.

//Patrick:// Patrick, whose nickname is Nothing, is the humorous boy in Charlie's shop class. Patrick and his step-sister, Sam, befriend Charlie at a high school football game. He accepts and even embraces Charlie's apparent strangeness. Patrick is also willing to trust Charlie not to tell anyone about how he is romantically involved with Brad, the football team's quarterback. Patrick is in love with Brad, but Brad does not want anyone to know about his homosexuality. Patrick gives Charlie a suit for Christmas because Patrick believes that all good writers wear suits.

//Sam:// Sam is Patrick's step-sister. She is kind to, accepts, and protects Charlie; she initially treats him like a younger brother. After Charlie admits to having a crush on her, Sam tells Charlie that she is too old for him to like; Sam is at least two or three years older than Charlie. Sam is dating Craig, an older teen, but she does not really love him. For Christmas, Sam gives Charlie a typewriter and admits that, despite the fact that they cannot be together, she loves Charlie.

//Other:// There are a few other minor characters throughout the novel, but none of the characters are really unlikeable. All of them have their own unique quirks and oddities, and seem to be realistic. Their personalities make them interesting individuals, and they did not do anything that really makes them worthy of hate.

**Key Questions:** 1. //What is Charlie's view on sex in general?// In general, Charlie is sort of immature and uncomfortable about topics related to sex. At first, he is completely ignorant about it. However, he later comes to think of sex as something both good and bad. Charlie believes that sex should only occur between two people who really love each other after both consent to having it; he becomes angry when he sees a person involved in a relationship being abused. Charlie also feels awkward when he thinks about sex because he feels as if his thoughts are embarrassing and wrong.

2. //What makes Charlie this way?// Charlie feels this way about sex because of his past experiences about it. When he was a child, his brother threw a party; at the party, one of the teenage boys raped a girl in Charlie's bedroom. He has seen females (like his sister) being abused, so he is wary about sex. However, Charlie also has his own thoughts about he and Sam becoming more intimately involved. He feels guilty after having these thoughts because Sam claims to want to be his friend and nothing more. Charlie's conscience is really what makes him feel this way.

3. //How do you think it affected Charlie when his sister was hit by her boyfriend?// Charlie's sister being hit by her boyfriend affected Charlie by making him feel bad for both of them. Charlie imagines the grim future that both would have if they stay together, and his worries about intimacy seem to have been confirmed. Charlie also realizes that people accept the love that they think they deserve.

4. //Why do some kids at school think Charlie is weird? What did Charlie do?// Some kids at school think Charlie is weird because of his status as a wallflower. Charlie is always thinking about life in his own world and observing everything. However, he does not often get involved in all of the school's activities, and he does not even decorate his locker. Charlie is sensitive, emotional, and unpredictable; he beat-up a bully in self-defense, which no one expected him to do. Other students see him as strange simply because he thinks differently than others and is not particularly popular.

5. //Who are the two kids Charlie is friends with at school. What are they like?// Charlie's two friends at school are Patrick and Sam. They are step-siblings, and both accept and love Charlie for his personality. They treat him like part of their family and respect him for being a wallflower. Patrick is humorous, kind, and trusting. Sam is beautiful (both inside and outside), intelligent, and caring.

**Meeting Summary:** This was the first book group meeting for //The Perks of Being a Wallflower.// We started out very well. We talked about the different main characters of the book and what we each like and dislike about them. We also talked about some of the main personality traits of these characters and why or how they became this way. For example, Charlie is just a very innocent person; we think he is this way because of his past experiences with his sister and her abusive boyfriend. Finally, we talked about some of our favorite parts of the text we have read so far. The best part was the poem: //Once upon a yellow piece of paper with green lines// //he wrote a poem// //And he called it “Chops”// //because that was the name of his dog// //And that’s what it was all about// //And his teacher gave him an A// //and a gold star// //And his mother hung it on the kitchen door// //and read it to his aunts// //That was the year Father Tracy// //took all the kids to the zoo// //And he let them sing on the bus// //And his little sister was born// //with tiny toenails and no hair// //And his mother and father kissed a lot// //And the girl around the corner sent him a// //Valentine signed with a row of X’s// //and he had to ask his father what the X’s meant// //And his father always tucked him in bed at night// //And was always there to do it//

//Once in a piece of white paper with blue lines// //he wrote a poem// //And he called it “Autumn”// //because that was the name of the season// //And that’s what it was all about// //And his teacher gave him an A// //and asked him to write more clearly// //And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door// //because of its new paint// //And the kids told him// //that Father Tracy smoked cigars// //And left butts on the pews// //And sometimes they would burn holes// //That year his sister got glasses// //with thick lenses and black frames// //And the girl around the corner laughed// //when he asked her to go see Santa Claus// //And the kids told him why// //his mother and father kissed a lot// //And his father never tucked him in bed at night// //And his father got mad// //when he cried for him to do it//

//Once on a paper torn from his notebook// //he wrote a poem// //And he called it “Innocence: A Question”// //because that was the question about his girl// //And that’s what it was all about// //And his professor gave him an A// //and a strange steady look// //And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door// //because she never showed her// //That was the year that Father Tracy died// //And he forgot how the end// //of the Apostle’s Creed went// //And when he caught his sister// //making out on the back porch// //And his mother and father never kissed// //or even talked// //And the girl around the corner// //wore too much makeup// //That made him cough when he kissed her// //but kissed her anyway// //because that was the thing to do// //And at three a.m. he tucked himself into bed// //his father snoring soundly//

//That’s why on the back of a brown paper bag// //he tried another poem// //And he called it “Absolutely Nothing”// //Because that’s what it was really all about// //And he gave himself an A// //and a slash on each damned wrist// //And he hung it on the bathroom door// //because this time he didn’t think// //he could reach the kitchen// The best part of the entire meeting, however, was that Nichole brought in pizza and drinks.