Perks of Being a Wallflower: Events

Dates

August 25,1991

September 7, 1991 & September 16, 1991

October 6, 1991

October 14, 1991 & October 15, 1991

October 28, 1991

November 7, 1991 & November 8, 1991

December 21, 1991

December 25, 1991

December 16, 1991

February 8, 1992, February 9, 1992, Februrary 15, 1992 & Februrary 23, 1992

March 7, 1992 March 28, 1992

April 18, 1992 & April 26, 1992

May 2, 1992 & May 8, 1992

May 11, 1992

June 5, 1992

June 13, 1992

June 16, 1992

June 22, 1992

Epilogue August 23, 1992

Events

Charlie first writes to the reader because he "needs to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with people even though they can,” and heard from a classmate that the reader is ‘that’ kind of person.
Charlie reveals that he is both happy and sad in life. He reveals that his friend Michael had killed himself and by the way people treated him afterwards, he took it hard.
Charlie also reveals that his Aunt Helen was his most favorite person in the world, and that she lived with his family for the few last years of her life because something bad happened to her. He ends the letter with that he is scared for high school tomorrow.

On the first letter, Charlie tells the reader, on the first day of high school, that a bully confronted him and started hitting him and Charlie, instead, hurt the bully.
On the second letter Charlie tells us about his sister and her boyfriend. Charlie’s dad thinks that this boy is soft. Charlie thinks his sister is mean to this boy because of their dad’s opinion.
One night Charlie and the couple were watching a movie and his sister was criticizing her boyfriend on how he didn’t stand up to his bully at fifteen. This was very hurtful to him, and ten minutes later, he was crying hard, and Charlie’s sister used Charlie as an example because he stood up to his bully.
The boy slapped her hard in the face.
Weirdly, his sister didn’t do anything but got all soft and nice and said they were going out. And don’t say anything to mom or dad.
That weekend, the couple seemed to laugh more. Charlie walked in on them doing ‘it’.
Charlie kept quiet.

Charlie meets Patrick and Sam at a football game. They went to the local hangout/diner called the 'Big Boy'.
Charlie rationalizes that Sam is very pretty and that he would want to go out with her one day.
All three talk and they get along very well.
Charlie has a wet dream about Sam and feels guilty.

Charlie tells Sam about his wet dream about her and starts crying at the same time. Sam laughs a warm laugh. She said it was okay.
But then she tells him that he's too young for her. And doesn't want him to waste his time thinking about her like that.
Patrick gives Charlie some very wise intellect about girls.
Charlie's English teacher talks to Charlie about thinking too much.
"sometimes people use thought to not participate in life." "Is that bad?" "Yes."
Bill continues to ask Charlie questions.
Charlie eventually tells Bill about the boy hitting his sister.
Bill tells Charlie another snippet of golden words. "We accept the love we think we deserve" (27 Chbosky).
Charlie gets home and finds out Bill called his family and told them about the boy.
His sister tells him she hates him and he's a freak. Charlie says he is trying not to be.
Charlie's dad talks to his sister's boyfriend's parents
Charlie says "maybe he has problems at home?" His dad replies with "Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it's no excuse" (31 Chbosky).

Charlie reveals that his brother threw a party when he was sixteen and told Charlie to stay in hidden in his room. He reveals that he saw a couple, that stumbled into the room, and they were doing more than making out. The girl kept saying no and started crying.
He was a kid, so he doesn't understand until when he tells Patrick and Sam this that it was a date rape.
Patrick and Sam take Charlie to a party at Bob's place.
Bob is a friend to Patrick and Sam who graduated already.
Bob offers Charlie a 'special brownie' and he eats it unknowing that it was 'special'.
Charlie becomes stoned and Sam goes to his rescue.
In the kitchen, he sees Patrick making out with Brad, the quarterback of the football team.
Patrick tells charlie that Brad doesn't want anyone to know.
Charlie promises to keep the secret.
Still at the party, Patrick says something out loud that everyone hears. "You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand" (37 Chbosky).
Everyone at the party agrees and Charlie starts to cry. The room raised they're drinks to him.
Charlie see's his sister and the boy who slapped her still together at Homecoming.
After the homecoming dance, Charlie, Sam, and Patrick drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel. Sam gets out onto the back of the pickup truck and Patrick drives faster. The moment becomes ethereal. The perfect song plays loud "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite" (39 Chbosky).

Charlie is enjoying school nowadays.
He's meeting new people such as Mary Elizabeth, a senior from the party.
Charlie learns that Patrick and Brad's relationship is complicated. Brad doesn't want everyone to know, so he has a proxy cheerleader girlfriend, and him and Patrick only hookup in secrecy.
Patrick and Sam take Charlie to see the reproduction of the Rocky Horror Picture Show where Patrick plays "Frank 'N Furter" and Sam plays "Janet".
Mary Elizabeth is in charge of both the showings and the fanzine.
Charlie reveals that he loves Sam. (Shocker...No)
Charlie also reveals that he hates the fact she has a boyfriend.
Charlie's sister and him talk very sibling like. She tells him that it's okay that she's still with that boy because he hasn't hit her since the time it happened. She tells Charlie not to worry. Charlie does though, even though she tells him not to.

Charlie, Sam, Patrick, and all of Sam's and Patrick's friends have a secret Santa unveiling party.
Charlie reveals that he was Patrick's secret Santa.(He gave him watercolors and paper, a mix tape, a book by a gay author, a harmonica, and magnetic poetry)
He reads one last poem for Patrick's last gift.
Patrick gives Charlie a suit for his secret Santa.
After the unveiling, everyone gives presents to people who weren't their secret Santa.
Charlie gives everybody something that suits them. He gave Sam an old 40's record of "Somebody" by the Beatles, because it was a song he wanted to give to someone he thought was as beautiful as the song.
She absolutely loved it. She also told him 'I love you'
Sam then gave him an old typewriter.
They converse a little using the typewriter. Sam then asks if Charlie has kissed anybody.
Nope.
She goes on to explain that her first kiss was one of her dad's friends when she was seven, and hadn't told anybody but Mary Elizabeth and Patrick over a year ago.
She then says, "I want to make sure that the first person you kiss loves you. Okay?" (70 Chbosky).
And she kissed him.
He was happy.
At the end of the letter, Charlie includes the poem he read aloud to everyone.

Charlie is thinking too much too fast. It seems like he's going to go into a panic attack.
His brother comes down from college (where he plays football).
Charlie, his sister, his brother, his mother, and his dad are in a car driving to Dad's mom's house,
One thing leads to another and Charlie's brother tells Charlie's sister something incredibly mean about letting her boyfriend hit her.
Dad slams on the brakes, goes into the backseat to sit between them, and Charlie has to drive the rest of the way.
He was scared.
When they get there, all of Charlie's dad's family is there.
They eat and talk.
Charlie reveals that his dad, grandma, and aunt had to deal with an abusive man for seven years (until his great uncle beat him to death), and that his dad left them because he couldn't handle seeing his mother not being able to trust another man again and his sister bringing home boys like their used-to-be stepfather. His dad is very remorseful about his decision and helps them unconditionally now.

Charlie reveals a lot about his Aunt Helen.
They visit her grave every year on the way back from grandma's house.
She was molested as a child. By a family friend. She told her father, but no one believed her because of who the person was. She used drugs and drank alcohol and had a lot of problems with men as she grew up. She went to a hospital to take care of this problem, and things were looking up for her afterwards. She told her bad man to go away and she moved in with her sister (Charlie's mom). She would watch him, his brother, and her sister so his parents could go out, and always let them stay up and watch SNL.
She was also one of the only people who bought Charlie two presents. One for Christmas, and one for his birthday.
Charlie's birthday is the day before Christmas.
Aunt Helen died in a car crash on her way out to get Charlie his present on his birthday. "She would be alive if i wasn't born on a day which didn't snow" (92 Chbosky).

Mary Elizabeth asks Charlie to the Sadie's Hawkins dance.
He tries to get advice from his sister, but other things are on her mind.
He then asks Sam and she tells him to ask her lots of questions and listen to them without interruption, and kiss her like he kissed her.
He still can't stop loving Sam.
The dance is on, and Mary Elizabeth talks and he listens.
Sam isn't having a fun time, Craig didn't go and they fought about it.
Charlie's sister had a fight with her secret boyfriend in the the middle of the dance and they went there separate ways.
After the dance is over, and Charlie goes home, he talks to her sister about what happened.
She was pregnant.
She told the boy that she was pregnant and the boy denied it and broke up with her right in the middle of the dance.
Charlie wasn't allowed to tell anybody.
Charlie then took her to the clinic.
She got the abortion
Charlie was smoking in the car and she yelled at him about it, threatened that she was going to tell their parents, but then realized she wasn't.
Their relationship got stronger to say the least, and Charlie realized that she was telling him to stop smoking because she really does love him.

Charlie and Mary Elizabeth go on a second date.
They do everything you can do from the waist up.
Charlie reveals that Mary Elizabeth talks way too much. One time, they were having a phone conversation, and he got bored, put the phone down, went to the bathroom, and came back, and she didn't even notice he was gone.
Charlie's mom asks him when Patrick and Sam are going to come over to eat dinner.
Charlie invites them over.
Mary Elizabeth invites herself.
At the dinner, Charlie wanted his parents to get know Patrick and Sam, not Mary Elizabeth. But she kept talking and talking. Afterwards, his parents commented solely on Mary Elizabeth, neither Sam or Patrick.

Charlie has messed things up bad.
A party at Craig's apartment lead to truth or dare.
Patrick told Charlie to kiss the prettiest girl in the room on the lips.
He kissed Sam.
Mary Elizabeth was there.
She rushed to the bathroom and Sam followed, but not without asking Charlie "What the 'f' is wrong with him?"
Charlie feels horrible for what happened. His anxiety is becoming worse.
After a week without talking to anybody, he got a hold of Bob and bought a quarter ounce of pot.
He's been smoking it since he got it.

Brad's father caught Patrick and him together.
Brad's father beat him in front of Patrick.
Charlie felt bad for Patrick, and wanted to talk to him and be there but his staying away phase is still intact.
Charlie imagines his friends in the car with him and he talks with them.
Things heat up between Patrick and Brad when Brad goes back to school, Brad calls Patrick a 'faggot' and makes his football friends laugh. Patrick punches Brad.
The football friends fight him, four to Patrick.
Charlie steps in and hurts two of the football players.
He threatens Brad that if he does that again, he'll tell everyone (that he's gay).
Patrick and Brad's friends are suspended.
Charlie and Brad get detention. Brad thanks Charlie for stopping them.
After detention, Sam picks up Charlie.
She told him that she was angry for what he did to Mary Elizabeth because they've been friends for a long time, and it hurt their friendship.
She also suggests he apologize to her.
He does, and finds out that she's dating one of Craig's college friends, Peter. He's very opinionated and interrupts her a lot to interject his opinion. She enjoys that.

Charlie has been spending a lot of time with Patrick because Patrick needs someone to listen while he talks.
Patrick is very distraught. Crazy.
They go around town, doing stuff, then end up at the golf course that Patrick and Brad always met up at.
After drinking and joking around, Patrick takes home Charlie.
Patrick kisses Charlie, then apologizes, but Charlie lets him, and after Patrick stops, he starts crying, then talking about Brad.
Charlie just sits there and lets him do what he wants because that's what friends are for in his mind.

Things are looking up.
Patrick has gotten over his odd behavior and school is over.
Sam and Patrick are so happy they graduated.
They went over Craig's to have a graduation party and Charlie was the deejay.

Craig and Sam break up.
Peter, Mary Elizabeth's boyfriend, convinced Craig to tell Sam he was cheating. He was cheating every since he started going out with Sam.
Peter didn't do it earlier because he didn't know any of them before.
Charlie realized that he wasn't happy at all that they broke up, which is weird considering he loves her.
Bill calls Charlie his friend and tells him that he is special.
The last person who told him that was his Aunt Helen.

Charlie goes to a dance club with the graduates
he gives them each all a present.
He gives Sam and Patrick all the books he was reading throughout the year.
When Sam and Patrick read the cards, Charlie begins to cry.
They are going to leave soon, and he would have to deal with life without them.
Sam takes him to the kitchen to call him and tells him to call her if things are bad.

The night before Sam leaves, Charlie and her talk.
She asks him why he didn't ask her out after what happened with Craig.
Charlie explained.
Sam then proceeds to tell Charlie, basically about everything that's happened, "it's like your not there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You just can't sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things"(200 Chbosky).
He asks like what, and she said that time they were dancing, why didn't he kiss him, and he brought up what she said to him nine months ago, about him not thinking about her in that way.
She explains, "Charlie, I told you not to think of me that way nine months ago because of what I'm saying now. Not because of Craig. Not because I didn't think you were great. It's just that I don't want to be somebody's crush. If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't wast them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it, too. I want them to be able to do whatever they want around me. And if they do something I don't like, I'll tell them" (200 Chbosky).
Charlie kisses her, and things escalate, then when she touches him there, he suddenly stops, feeling very confused to why he did.
Sam seems to worry about him, and he seems very distraught. Sam had him lie down on the couch because he looked like he was going to faint.
Charlie had a dream. He was watching television with his brother, and his sister, and his aunt Helen. But, she was doing exactly what Sam was doing.
He woke up totally just freaked out.
Patrick made him breakfast, then they said bye to Sam.
Sam told him it was okay he wasn't ready and he told her she was his best friend.
Then she left.
Then Charlie went back home. Sat on his couch, and watched the TV Except, nothing was on.
Charlie ends the letter awkwardly with an, okay, then. Goodbye.

Charlie reveals that he has been in the hospital for the past two months.
He was found naked, watching TV, with nothing on the TV.
Charlie didn't speak to anyone for a week.
He eventually figured out that his Aunt Helen molested him every Saturday after they watched television.
Everyone was trying to help him get better.
Charlie was released today.
He explains that he's ready to go into his sophomore year.
He wants everybody to be happy, and feel infinite.
Like he does when Patrick and Sam take him through the tunnel, with him standing on the back with the wind in his face.
And that, if he doesn't send another letter, he wants the reader to believe that things are good with him, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough.
"And I will believe the same about you Love always, Charlie" (213 Chbosky).