The Perks of Being a Wallflower Literature Analysis

Literature Analysis (Fiction)

Here are the questions to guide your first Literature Analysis

(post title: LITERATURE ANALYSIS #1)

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

On page 24 Bill, Charlie's English teacher, tells him, "Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve." This is key throughout the whole novel. Charlie's sister 

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

I felt it was lighthearted, solemn, honest

1. pg 67 "Do you know what I mean? That nice feeling when you look in the mirror, and your hair's right for the first time in your life? I don't think we should base so much on weight, muscles, and a good hair day, but when it happens, it's nice. It really is."
2. pg 93 "I made a mix tape for the occasion. It is called 'The First Time I Drove.' Maybe I'm being too sentimental, but I like to think that when I'm old, I will be able to look at all these tapes and remember those drives."
3. pg 100 "I feel like a big faker because I've been putting my life back together, and nobody knows."

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

1. "I gave Patrick On the Road Again, Naked Lunch, The Stranger, This Side of Paradise, Peter Pan, and A Separate Peace. I gave Sam To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, Walden, and The Fountainhead." pg 193 . 
2. "I decided then that when I met someone as beautiful as the song, I should give it to that person." pg 68 Simile.
3. "Looking sharp, Charlie," pg 101 Metaphor. 
4. "I wondered if they had a choice or not if they wanted to be successful." pg 117.
5. "Even people that think it's a 'joke' can't stop talking about what a 'joke' it is." pg 168
6. "So, I just sat there with a bottle of champagne near the CD player, and I changed the songs to fit the mood of what I saw." pg 171
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CHARACTERIZATION

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

1. DIRECT "His name is "Nothing." And he is hilarious." pg 13 
2. DIRECT "'He's a wallflower.' ... 'You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.'" pg 37
3. INDIRECT "I almost didn't get an A in math, but them Mr. Carlo told me to stop asking 'why?' all the time and just follow the formulas. So, I did. Now, I get perfect on all my tests. I just wish I knew what the formulas did. I honestly have no idea." pg 165
4. INDIRECT "Despite everything that my mom and doctor and dad have said to me about blame, I can't stop thinking what I know. And I know that my aunt Helen would still be alive today if she just bought me one present like everybody else. She would be alive if I were born on a day it didn't snow. I would do anything to make this g0 away." pg 92

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.