Charlie Kelmeckis, male protagonist of “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower”, possesses more feminine characteristics than he does masculine. He is the epitome of a wallflower; he does not draw attention to himself and remains as much in the background as he can. Charlie is shy, beginning the movie without any friends. He does little to stand up for himself when tested, yielding to the bullies who harass him at school. These traits from the Bem Sex Role Inventory (yielding, shy, soft spoken, gentle) are portrayed as bad things for Charlie to be.
One positively portrayed feminine characteristic that Charlie exhibits is his sensitivity towards the feelings of others. He puts the needs of Sam and Patrick above even his own. While this is initially a good thing that makes Charlie a likable person and helps him make friends, it is later made to seem that his inability to put himself first is actually a bad thing that damages his mental health and his relationship with others. This is most obvious when he breaks up with his girlfriend Mary Jane by kissing Sam in front of her, thinking it is the only way to end the relationship without hurting MJ’s feelings. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and that mentality is what drives him to cause unintentional pain.
Charlie receives the most positive responses when he behaves the most stereotypically masculine. This is shown when he takes a stand and fights the bullies who attack Patrick in the cafeteria. He protects his friends and is able to gain back their trust and respect after what he did to Mary Jane when he ended the relationship.
Though “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” provides a number of characters that defy their sex role expectations and create subject positions that show it is okay – and even in cases very good – to act against what is stereotypical of one’s sex, the movie also makes it clear that this behavior is against the norm and makes one an outcast. The movie may fall one of two ways:
1. People will be encouraged to be themselves and know that it’s okay to go against gender expectations.
2. People will be frightened by the negative treatment these characters receive and feel they must display the traits expected of their sex.
Shared by: Riley Schwahn
Image Credit: metacritic.com