The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “One Winter”

Charlie creates a mixtape for Patrick called “One Winter” that he talks about on pages 53 and 54. On it, he includes the following songs:

• “Asleep” by The Smiths
• “Vapour Trail” by Simon & Garfunkel
• “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harun
• “Time of No Reply” by Nick Drake
• “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles
• “Gypsy” by Suzanne Vega
• “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues
• “Daydream” by Smashing Pumpkins
• “Dusk” by Genesis
• “MLK” by U2
• “Blackbird” by the Beatles
• “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
• “Asleep” by The Smiths

Ask students if they’ve ever made a mixtape for anyone, particularly a cassette mixtape. Then show this video explaining the process of putting one together.

Break students into groups of two or three and assign them a song from Charlie’s mixtape. Hand out printed copies of the song’s lyrics. Ask them to look up the song and listen to it (preferably using headphones). Then, ask them to answer the following questions:

• What is this song about?
• Why might Charlie have included it on the mixtape for Patrick?
• Does it fit with any of the novel’s themes? Why or why not?

After 10 minutes, have students come back together as a group. Ask each group to give their answers to the discussion questions. Write one or two thoughts about each song on the board. Then, ask students to consider the mixtape as a whole. Some guiding questions include:

• Why does Charlie start and end with “Asleep”?
• What is the overall message of the mixtape?
• How does this relate to our theme of family, friends, and identity and the motif of music?
• How are the extracurricular books Bill gives to Charlie like a mixtape?

Teaching Suggestion: Creating a class playlist for this book can encourage students to listen to the songs as they are reading. Additionally, encourage students to think about the mixtapes that they would create for their family and friends. How would they choose the songs? For homework, ask them to create a mini-mixtape for someone they care about and write about the process, explaining how it helps them understand Charlie’s love for giving thoughtful gifts.

ACTIVITY 2: “Dear Friend”

The epistolary (letter-writing) form provides insight into Charlie’s mind as he begins high school. It helps to build empathy between him and the reader, and, as a part of the plot, it also functions as a way for him to confess his innermost feelings. 

Part A: Return to the earlier discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of using this form. Use the following prompting questions to guide discussion:

• What are the benefits and drawbacks of using this form?
• How did Chbosky use the letters to help readers track Charlie’s growth and development?
• Do you think Charlie will ever write to his friend again?

With this last question, take a class vote. If there are enough students on each side, encourage respectful debate.

Teaching Suggestion: An alternative form to this part of the lesson involves watching the 2012 film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Do students think the movie effectively contains the same meaning once translated into film form? Why or why not?

Paired Text Extension: Choose another epistolary novel such as The Color Purple and encourage students to think about the similarities and differences between the two novels and how Walker and Chbosky use the form.

Part B: Ask students to write a letter to their younger selves. What stood out to them in this novel? What lessons do they think would be useful to pass along to their younger selves? If none come to mind, why not?