However, as it turns out, Charlie's trauma regarding his Aunt Helen goes far deeper than this guilt. Charlie has been repressing the fact that Aunt Helen molested him when he was a child, and it is only when he enters into a passionate sexual experience with Sam that these memories come bubbling to his consciousness.

Why did Aunt Helen touch Charlie?

What Charlie does not realize until the end of the book is that his Aunt Helen molested him when he was a child. We also find out that Charlie's Aunt Helen was molested by a family friend a long time ago. Because she never resolved her own abuse, she let that cycle of abuse continue and became an abuser herself.

What mental illness does Charlie have in Perks of Being a Wallflower?

Overall, Perks of Being a Wallflower accurately portrays the symptoms of PTSD in an adolescent who experienced the trauma of sexual abuse as a child. It also provides a positive image of psychiatry and a psychiatric hospital which is rare in Hollywood.

Why did Patrick kiss Charlie?

Patrick seems to be surviving on coffee, cigarettes, and caffeine pills. Patrick and Charlie go to the golf course, drink wine, and gossip. Patrick kisses Charlie at the end of the night, but Charlie doesn't get mad, because he understands that it's just a symptom of Patrick missing Brad.

Was Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower suicidal?

Here, Charlie admits to having suicidal ideation. While he doesn't mention suicide outright, his thoughts imply that he finds the idea of death and nonexistence comforting, or at least preferable to continuing with his current existence.

What Aunt Helen do to Charlie?

Is Charlie Autistic wallflower?

Because Charlie is able to read emotions, that is a clear indicator of not having autism as that is one of the defining factors of being on the spectrum for most people. Due to Charlie's abuse as a seven year old he shows symptoms more in line with PTSD and social anxiety.

Why did Susan stop talking to Charlie?

It is also stated that she used to be a lot different and after her boyfriend's suicide she used her sexuality to try and help cope, and no longer associates with Charlie, since all of the conversations they tend to have result back to Michael.

Why did Charlie stop kissing Sam?

They begin to engage sexually, but Charlie suddenly grows inexplicably uncomfortable and stops Sam. Charlie begins to realize that his sexual contact with Sam has stirred up repressed memories of him being molested by his Aunt Helen as a little boy.

Do Charlie and Sam sleep together?

At the end of the novel, Sam and Charlie start to become sexually involved, and, for a brief moment, events seem to have lined up for Charlie in a moment of romantic glory. However, this glory is interrupted by Charlie's repressed memory of abuse coming to the surface.

Why did Charlie's dad hit him?

In his first letter, Charlie tells us that his dad slapped him after he made Aunt Helen cry.

Why is Perks of Being a Wallflower banned?

Apart from mentioning sexual abuse, “Perks” has LGBTQIA+ themes, mental health, substance abuse, profanity and sexually explicit descriptions. The book was published on February 1, 1999. It was first banned in 2003 in Fairfax, Virginia, by the group Parents Against Bad Books.

How old was Charlie when Aunt Helen died?

When Charlie was seven, his beloved Aunt Helen was killed in a car crash on Christmas Eve, which is also Charlie's birthday.

Who was Charlie writing to in The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

The story is told in a series of letters written by Charlie, a freshman in high school, to an unnamed “friend.” Charlie doesn't know the person he's writing to, and the friend's identity is never revealed.

Why does Charlie feel guilty about Aunt Helen's death?

On Charlie's seventh birthday, Aunt Helen died in a car accident. The last thing that Aunt Helen had said to Charlie was that she was going to buy him his birthday present, so Charlie can't help but blame himself for her death. Charlie thinks that if his Aunt Helen hadn't loved him so much, she would still be alive.

Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower a true story?

Answer and Explanation: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not a true story. It is classified as a novel, so it is, by definition, fictional. However, it was inspired by the author's actual experiences and people he knew while he grew up in Pittsburgh and attended high school there.

Why was Charlie hospitalized in Perks of Being a Wallflower?

The second time Charlie goes to the hospital is at the end of the novel, when he finally remembers he was molested as a child by his Aunt Helen. The memory is deeply traumatic and sends Charlie into a catatonic state. He doesn't wake from it even when his father slaps him in the face.

What is the age gap between Charlie and Sam?

Answer and Explanation:

Sam is a senior in high school and eighteen years old in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She is three years older than Charlie, the protagonist, who as a freshmen in high school is fifteen years old.

Does Sam actually love Charlie?

She kisses Charlie, telling him she wants his first kiss to be with someone who loves him. At the end of the novel, she leaves for college with a mutually loving but vaguely defined relationship with Charlie.

Is Charlie In Love With Dean?

Dean and Charlie had a close friendship, which developed into an 'older brother-little sister' relationship, with both commenting that they see each other as siblings.

What does Sam whisper to Charlie?

Charlie gives Sam a record that Aunt Helen had given him, and Sam whispers to Charlie that she loves him.

Why does Charlie let Patrick kiss him at the end of the letter?

Patrick apologizes but Charlie tells him that it's okay and lets Patrick kiss him because “that's what friends are for.” Always a giver and supporter in relationships, Charlie passively spends time with his friend, but isn't honest with Patrick about his concerns.

Did Nick and Charlie actually kiss?

Nick eventually says yes and the two drift closer together and it culminates in a kiss. However, the moment is ruined as Nick hears his friends looking for him and he bolts out of the room, leaving Charlie behind.

Why can't Charlie make love to Alice?

Even though he became knowledgeable very quickly, his emotional status progressed imperceptibly. As you know, the naive Charlie remained in his conscious at times. Lingering there, he would become fearful because Alice was someone he sought after for a while and so it was very hard for him to make love to her.

Why does Charlie not reveal himself to his father?

Charlie is unable to bring himself to reveal his identity to Matt because he knows that he is no longer the Charlie Matt once knew. Just as the bakery workers are not proud of Charlie's new intellect, Charlie fears that Matt will have no reason to feel anything but threatened by his genius son.

Why didn't Susan go to heaven?

The “problem of Susan” is not that she can't go to Heaven because she grew up. Her story is that she struggles with her faith and allowed her desire to seem grown-up and part of the in-crowd become her driving influence, forgetting what was most important.