4/25/24

English 9
Kevin Harkins
Drugs in The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a novel a boy who
experienes !any situations that will help hi! "in# an# aept hi!sel"$ %n the beginning
o" the novel& Charlie an# his "a!ily have 'ust !ove# to a new town an# Charlie #oes not
have any "rien#s$ (ver ti!e& he gains "rien#s& gets a girl"rien#& an# experi!ents with
#rugs$ Drugs beo!e a i!portant part o" the novel beause he uses the! !ore "re)uently
at #i""erent ti!es in his li"e$ Charlie uses #rugs at #i""erent ti!es in his li"e to signi"y his
!oo# an# where he is !entally at that ti!e$
*he "irst #rug Charlie tries is !ari'uana& to whih he soon beo!es a##ite#$
+"ter Sa! an# ,ary-Eli.abeth get !a# at Charlie& he ha# to stay away "ro! the! "or a
while "or the! to get over it$ /hile he was staying away& he "elt lonely an# #i# this&
0+"ter a week o" not talking to anyone& % "inally alle# 1ob$ 2He sai# he ha# a )uarter
oune o" pot le"t$ So& % took so!e o" !y Easter !oney an# bought it$ %3ve been s!oking it
all the ti!e sine$4 56798$ *his )uote shows that he #oes not s!oke pot to be ool& but
s!okes to !ake hi!sel" "eel better& whih is how he beo!es a##ite#$ 9ater in the book&
Charlie is at a party with his "rien#s an# overhears ,ary-Eli.abeth saying that she like#
he new boy"rien# beause he talke# !ore than Charlie$ He #oes not know how he wants
to reat to this& an# he says& 0% 'ust #rank beause % "igure# it was about ti!e to stop
s!oking so !uh pot$4 56548$ *his )uote is signi"iant beause he "igures out that pot is
a""eting hi!& so he replaes it with alohol& whih shows his #epen#ene on so!e type
o" #rug in or#er to "eel better$ *here"ore& pot is an i!portant phase in Charlie3s li"e that
greatly a""ets the novel$
*he other #rug that has a big e""et on Charlie3s !ental state an# brings hi! to a
ba# plae is 9SD$ Charlie is at a party an# he is given 9SD unknowingly an# takes it$
/hile high& he writes a lot o" weir# things& but a!ong the strangest& he says this& 0*hings
were worse an hour ago& an# % was looking at this tree but it was a #ragon an# then a tree&
an# % re!e!bere# that one nie pretty weather #ay when % was part o" the air$4 5948$ *his
)uote shows how a""ete# Charlie is by 9SD& whih eventually auses hi! to "all asleep
outsi#e the post o""ie in the snow$ + "ew weeks later Charlie is stresse# an# asks :atrik
"or his "irst igarette& while he s!okes Sa! explains the e""ets 9SD an have on hi!$ He
says& 0Sa! went on to explain what she alle# 0the trane$4 *he trane happens when
you #on3t "ous on anything& an# the whole big piture swallows an# !oves aroun# you$4
56;28$ *his )uote is signi"iant beause Charlie is in 0the trane4 even when he is not on
9SD& whih Charlie gets worrie# about beause he hear# that i" you are so!eone who is
always in 0the trane4 an# you take 9SD& the e""ets will never wear o""$ *here"ore& 9SD
is #rug that is very ba# to Charlie an# auses hi! to never take it again$
Charlie uses #rugs as a oping !ehanis! "or any stress or anxiety he "eels
throughout the book$ *he author highlights this i#ea to show that Charlie nee#s #rugs to
ope beause he annot ope on his own$ /hen Charlie gets stresse# an# goes to a ba#
plae& he "eels he nee#s #rugs in or#er to al! #own$ Charlie later reali.es that the #rugs
are also a""eting hi! in a negative way an# starts to li!it his #rug use$ *here"ore& #rugs
play an i!portant role in the novel beause Charlie "elt he oul# not ope with his
proble!s without the!$