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| We Were Infinite |
Set somewhere in America in early ninety’s when Nirvana was topping the US charts, Stephen Chbosky with The Perks of Wallflower showcased the world of an introvert kid, the world which was changing so fast. With Charlie, intelligent and unconventionally smart thinker, also not so popular and shy, Chobsky beautifully depicted how an introvert kid sees the world and how the world sees him.
The Perks is a coming of the age epistolary novel, in case you don’t know, what is epistolary novel. An epistolary novel is a novel written as series of letters or diary entries. Now coming back to the Perks, the book starts with Charlie writing a letter to someone unknown, describing his first days as Senior High School student, how his life has changed after the suicide of his fast friend Michael, and death of his favorite aunt, Aunt Helen. How he met a step-brother-sister duo Patrick and Sam. And his encounter with his new English teacher, Bill, the first person who acknowledges his talent. How he got introduced to the world of extroverts, became high on drugs. And every other thing, at some point, you and I have gone through. The Perks, instantly make you fall in love with herself and makes you read her again.
The Perks in her pure and unapologetic language deals with the themes of child abuse, drug abuse, suicide, body image, teenage sexuality, teenage pregnancy and abortion and first love.
If you want to know, they made a movie based on The Perks or not. The answer is a big YES. With Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam, and Erza Miller as Patrick. But instead of the movie, go for the book.
Here, I leave you with some of the beautiful quotes from The Perks.
We accept the love, we think we deserve
When Charlie and Bill were talking about the love, relationship, and their little complexities. The quote first appeared on page 24. But then afterward it appears for three or four times.
And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.
The quote first appeared on page 39, when Charlie identifies his true self.
So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.
I think you have already understood what I am going to say.
Image Credit: Tumblr/Ezra Quotes