Kylie Davis
Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
1
COURSE TITLE: Gender Role and Identity
COURSE IDENTIFICATION: PSYC 40625
INSTRUCTOR: Carly Goldstein
COURSE COMPLETED: Fall 2013
ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Perks of Being a Wallflower
ASSIGNMENT PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This was the final research paper for this course. The
assignment was to apply theories discussed in class to the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
REFLECTIONS: Though there are many themes in the movie that relate to gender roles and
identity this paper will focus on homosexuality and the stereotypes associated, managing
sexual attraction in cross-sex friendship, and rape as well as its’ effects. I greatly enjoyed writing
this paper. I love movies and love that this piece infuses creative writing with academic
research.
Kylie Davis
Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
2
The movie I chose to watch was The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It is about a young
teenager by the name of Charlie, a high school freshman. The movie starts with Charlie writing a
letter to his pen pal as he prepares for the first day of his freshman year. He discusses his fears
and how his only friend, Michael, had committed suicide the year before. Charlie also speaks of
his Aunt Helen, who died as well.
Charlie is an extremely shy and introverted individual. It makes it very difficult for
Charlie to make friends in high school, but he soon becomes friends with a senior named Patrick
who is gay. Patrick introduces Charlie to his step-sister Sam, who Charlie is immediately
attracted to. Patrick and Sam welcome Charlie into their band of misfits. The introverted Charlie
starts to make friends and begins to break out of his shell a bit. He even starts dating a girl from
their friend group, Mary Elizabeth. Though he seems to rather hate the relationship he is in. He
starts to control flashbacks that he has been having about his Aunt Helen. The flashbacks are a
bit ambiguous and it is hard to understand the meaning of them at first. Though he is dating
Mary Elizabeth, he kisses Sam. This causes the rest of the friend group to outcast Charlie. The
isolation recalls the memories of his aunt again. Some days later Patrick who is talking to his
boyfriend and football player, is attacked by the football team and called gay and a fag. An
outraged Charlie saves his friend, and he is again welcomed into the group. The school year is
drawing to a close which gives the young Charlie anxiety. His feelings for Sam are brought up
when he realizes Sam is going away to college. She touched his inner thigh. This sends Charlie
into an unstable emotional state as he recalls exactly what Aunt Helen did to him. It is revealed
that his Aunt molested him as a child but his undying love for his Aunt caused him to repress
these awful memories. Charlie is admitted to a mental hospital. At the end of the movie Charlie
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Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
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begins to come to terms with his past and decides that from now on he is going to fully partake in
life and truly start living.
This coming of age film is layered with many different themes regarding the exploration
of identity and the emergence and experimentation of sexuality. The Perks of being a Wallflower
touches upon sensitive topics such as suicide, depression, domestic abuse, and rape all through
the eyes of an adolescent. I believe the movie does an amazing job depicting how adolescents
truly feel; sometimes alone and like no one can understand what they are going through. Though
there are many themes in the movie that relate to gender roles and identity this paper will focus
on homosexuality and the stereotypes associated, managing sexual attraction in cross-sex
friendship, and rape as well as its’ effects.
Homosexual characters have appeared in film and TV shows for some time. Historically,
these characters are written as polar opposites of heterosexuals, can easily be defined as
homosexual, and are often seen as outcasts (Green, 2013). Screenwriters are encouraged to stray
away from homosexual stereotypes as they create characters. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
seems to attempt to stray away from the homosexual stereotypes but does not avoid them all.
Patrick identifies as gay, and some of his mannerisms do seem to stereotype his character. An
article describing the movie describes his character as flamboyant. The stereotype that is most
present in Patrick’s character is that he is labeled as an outcast from much of the senior class.
Though this is considered a stereotype, the film doesn’t depict Patrick as the only outcast, but
creates a “band of misfits” in which he is openly accepted and welcomed in. Patrick’s boyfriend,
Brad, seems to escape the stereotype of being an outcast, but he is less comfortable in his
sexuality. Brad hides his relationship with Patrick from everyone, especially the football team.
Kylie Davis
Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
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This is an interesting point of the film and reminded me of But I’m a Cheerleader. The high
school teenager struggled with her sexuality when she realized she was gay, but she’s a
cheerleader. They aren’t supposed to be gay. The Perks of Being a Wallflower mirrors this theme
in a masculine role with Brad. He tries to deny his love for Patrick because he is a football
player. Hollywood often represents gay characters in films, yet the subject of the films is rarely
about sexuality itself and rather features homosexuality as a social issue. Most often films
dramatize the conflict between straight and gay characters about their sexuality and depict the
hardships of being “queer” in an intolerant society (Green, 2013). The Perks of Being a
Wallflower depicts just that. Brad is beaten by his homophobic father when seen kissing Patrick.
The football team beats up Patrick for being a “faggot”. These scenes illustrate the damage done
as a result of bigotry. This is a way screenwriters use homosexuality as a social issue, promoting
tolerance and progressivism (Green, 2013). However, to a point this aspect of The Perks of Being
a Wallflower enforces stereotypes as it represents these scenes as the defining aspect of the gay
characters’ lives. It encourages some viewers to see them as abnormal and different from
heterosexuals.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower portrays Charlie trying to manage his sexual attraction
to his friend Sam. As stated in lecture, cross-sex friends increase with age. Charlie only had one
friend previous to high school, a boy named Michael. His friendship with the female character
Sam shows his growing maturity. Charlie attraction to Sam is obvious in the first scene that they
meet. Throughout the film he is often seen staring at Sam, subtly but clearly enthralled in
everything she says and does. Interpersonal attraction is the positive or negative notions an
individual evaluates about another person and include a social, physical, and task dimensions
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Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
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(Malchowski, 2011). Charlie shows positive evaluations of Sam in all aspects. She is one of the
only people Charlie actually can talk to (social dimension) and they share many deep, intellectual
conversation. He often stares at her beauty (physical dimension). Furthermore, the two enjoy
working together and find it easy to do so (task dimension), which is depicted when Charlie
helps Sam study for the SAT’s. This interpersonal attraction Charlie feels toward Sam grows into
romantic intent, which is clear when Charlie asks Mr. Anderson if he could make someone know
that they deserve more than what they believe they do. He of course is referring to Sam and her
romantic relationship with her college boyfriend. Charlie sees that her boyfriend is not treating
her like he should if he loved her. Thus, Charlie attempts to prove to Sam that she deserves so
much more, and by more he means unconditional love. It remains difficult for Charlie to tell Sam
his true feelings though. Cross-sex friendships can be difficult and layered with ambiguity,
which is due to the high level of uncertainty involved in this type of relationship (Malachowski,
2011). Uncertainty is very problematic in cross-sex friendships as one or both people involved
may be attracted to the other, but fear any negative consequence from attempting to change their
relationship to a romantic one (Malachowski, 2011). Charlie’s friendship with Sam means a lot
to him, and has offered a lot of emotional support for the young man. I believe his reservations of
divulging his love for her is due to this uncertainty. When he informs her of his feelings, Sam is
at first frustrated that he did not say something sooner, but they soon begin to kiss. Their
attraction to each other grows.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower has an underlying theme of rape. This is not at first
understood as the audience only gets quick flashbacks of a young Charlie with his Aunt Helen.
Charlie always talks about how much he had loved his Aunt. It isn’t until the end of the movie
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that it is understood that his Aunt Helen had been sexually abusing the young Charlie. These
events have caused Charlie serious harm to his psyche, and have brought about feelings of
depression, self-mutilation, and suicide. His family did not know about this abuse sustained by
Aunt Helen, and figured his depression was a result of his friend Michael’s death. Charlie did not
remember these instances as he greatly loved his Aunt Helen, but his uncontrollable flashbacks
allow him to finally see. Child rape is a very serious issue and has lasting effects on the
individual, which the film does accurate job depicting. Females have a higher rate of being
sexually abused than males. The film’s use of the Aunt being the sexual abuser is another very
accurate depiction of sexual abuse in children. One study found that 69% of abused children
knew their abuser, and 31% reported abuse by a relative (Fahrudin, 2009). Though the most
common abuser tended to be fathers. In this way the film breaks the traditional mold of sexual
abuse on children. Aunt Helen was herself depressed and a victim of domestic violence. This
may indicate why she had a perversion for her nephew, as it was something/someone she could
control but also love. As stated previously Charlie endured physical and emotional harm. His
trauma is accurately portrayed in the film and consistent with many sexually abused children.
The most common symptom for trauma is post-traumatic stress, followed by dissociation,
anxiety, depression, anger, and sexual concerns (Fahrudin, 2009). Charlie expresses almost all of
these symptoms, with the exception of anger. His flashbacks are indicative of PTS. His feelings
of anxiety and depression are constant throughout the film. His encounter with Sam, where she
rubs the inside of his leg cause him to stop her, obvious sexual reservations.
Overall this movie does an excellent job exemplifying many themes related to gender
issues. I think the film excels in showing real life issues that many adolescents face, and really
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Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
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attempts to make you understand the thought process of adolescents. For some older viewers, it
may be hard to remember how everything felt in high school. I believe the writers and directors
did an amazing job showing the inner workings of Charlie, particularly his thoughts that no one
can understand or relate to his problems. These are thoughts I myself have had. This class did not
really alter my view of the film. As a lesbian, I have experienced hate similar to that which Brad
and Patrick were subjected to, though not as extreme. I am a very open minded person. I accept
all people and all points of views, even if I do not agree with them. I enjoyed the theme of the
film; that being different is perfectly fine. I enjoy different, and welcome it in. I also really like
the theme of not letting the past define us, and instead living in the moment. Though I enjoyed
the messages of the film I found it to be overall kind of boring. I did not find there to be a real
climax, and believed the movie to be very slow.
Homosexuality and the stereotypes associated, managing sexual attraction in cross-sex
friendship, and rape as well as its’ effects are just a few of the gender related issues that appear in
The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The film does seem to accurately portray these issues, and
attempts to make viewers understand more about such issues. I believe the movie has some
amazing messages to give, namely that being different is not bad. Being different does not mean
you cannot be accepted. Being different is amazing and has its perks.
References
Kylie Davis
Gender Role & Identity
Perks of Being a Wallflower
8
Fahrudin A, Edward D. Family Characteristics and Traumatic Consequences Associated with the
Duration and Frequency of Sexual Assault. Asian Social Work & Policy Review [serial
online]. February 2009;3(1):36-50. Available from: Public Affairs Index, Ipswich, MA.
Accessed November 14, 2013.
Green M. Screenwriting Representation: Teaching Approaches to Writing Queer Characters.
Journal Of Film & Video [serial online]. Summer2013 2013;65(1/2):30-42. Available
from: Communication Abstracts, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 14, 2013.
Malachowski C, Dillow M. An Examination of Relational Uncertainty, Romantic Intent, and
Attraction on Communicative and Relational Outcomes in Cross-Sex Friendships.
Communication Research Reports [serial online]. October 2011;28(4):356-368. Available
from: Communication Abstracts, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 14, 2013.