In the month of February, I read the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky. I found this book very unique because the story is told by a high school boy, Charlie, writing a letter to a person whom he doesn't know well. And not only did I find the format of this book unique, but also Charlie's personalities. Some of his friends refer to Charlie as a wallflower because he "hears things, understands them and keeps quiet about them." I thought that this nickname implies his qualities well and didn't believe that it had any bad meaning associated with it. But when I looked it up on Wikipedia, it says,
"In social situations, a wallflower is a silly or unpopular individual who doesn't socialize or participate in activities at social events. He or she may have other talents but usually does not express them in the presence of other individuals. The term comes from the image of a person isolating themselves from areas of social activities at ballroom dances and parties, where the people who did not wish to dance (or had nopartner) remained close to the walls of the dance hall."
And if I had just read the definition on Wikipedia and someone was described as a wallflower, then I would assume that a person is antisocial and doesn't enjoy interacting with people much. But Charlie is nothing like the typical definition of a wallflower. Although not popular, he tries hard to be involved in a social life, and has some very close friends, Patrick and Sam. Charlie is understanding, caring, and do whatever he can do to meet the qualities of a good friend. And this is illustrated on the same webpage as the definition of wallflower is stated on Wikipedia. It states, "Charlie is also empathetic and sensitive, which is considered an extension of the definition of a wallflower," and supports the idea that Charlie is far more special and different from those who are considered the typical wallflowers. And if you get a chance to read this book, and you are aware of this characteristic about Charlie, then it will help you understand why he was motivated to act a certain way, and maybe you might be able to figure out why he came about to becoming a wallflower.
Feel free to comment on your views on a wallflower!