Remember the Darkness - Forget the Light

While reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road, i came across many lines of the book that really hit me. The quote that was most memorable for me was 'you forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.' Not only is this sentence too relatable to ignore, but it is also completely relevant to my own life. Really attempting to remember something good is a challenge. A good dream can fade from your memory in seconds, no matter how hard or how long you sit there trying to recall the details. Then there is the aspect of trying to forget something, ironically making you remember it again. The more you attempt to get something out of your head, the more you are thinking about it - bringing it forth and refreshing the incident in your mind over and over. This quotation took place in the novel when the father was forced to murder a man basically on top of his son. The gore and horrific images haunted the son's mind for days, days in which he was absolutely silent. Images that cannot be erased from the mind seem to have embedded themselves deep in your memory- so far they are unable to be retrieved. Another aspect of the novel i took from this particular quote was that the bad sometimes overrides the good. In this book especially, the difficulties they face are their main focus. They are constantly waiting for something to go wrong, and are wholeheartedly surprised when things actually work out for the better. Even with the father's reassurance throughout their journey, the young boy only knows of the things he has seen- most of the sights being horrific. If he were to forget what he remembers - what would be left? What would he even want to remember from his life? The darkness they face each day seems to be a reflection of their minds. A place where the images of what the world has become are stored, either to be remembered or forgotten. The Road and this quote have taught me that life is certainly worth living to the fullest, spent making good memories that could one ay be forgotten. But it is the bad memories that shape us into who we are and allow us to grow and develop so we can in fact live this one life we have in light rather than darkness.

Strength on the Road

The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy brings forth an aspect of life that many of us rarely even give thought to. What is life when there is no life left? The Road tells the story of an anonymous man and his son traveling the country in a time that i believe to be post apocalyptic. With no names, no food, and no source of travel these men test their strength each and everyday just by surviving. The anonymity found throughout the novel gives it an eerie sense of abandonment. Names don't matter, nothing matters. The only thing worth living for is to see what is left. They are unaware as to what still exists of the world, and the son never even knew what the world was before this mess. Struggling to stay warm in the dead of winter, the men only have a tarp and a cart to protect them. The father's unconditional trust in the world is refreshing throughout the story, and gives the reader a sense of confidence in their survival. Although the men are on a constant hunt for food, the reader is always trusting that things will work out because the father constantly reassures the son that everything is going to be okay and they will not starve. Along their journey they come across good guys and bad. The bad being really really bad. Encountering the location of a herd of cannibals, the father and son escape the holding center of the victims who are impending their death. This scene was hard for me to deal with, and apparently this part of the movie is even more heart wrenching. Although i am unable to relate to such a situation, this instance demonstrates the weight of the novel perfectly. The Road is the type of book that really makes you think about life, and realize how lucky you are to have the things you do. The constant search for things we take for granted each and every day made me understand that i am lucky to have food and shelter available for me at all times. The way i connected to this book was by putting myself in the son's shoes. This is all he has ever known, and all he ever will. He is strong, and while i was reading i was wondering if i would be able to deal with things as well as he did. This book demonstrated the importance of appreciation to me, and showed me what unconditional love truly means.

Loving These Poems

Artificial Flowers by C.P. Cavafy invokes my spiritual side and allows me to comprehend the beautiful yet frightening aspects of life. Real flowers posses temporary appeal, but will eventually diminish, reminding me that everything you touch surely dies. When you are with someone and never want the love to end, artificial roses are comforting because they give you a sense of permanence. Real flowers will decease no matter how hard you attempt to take care of them, resembling that the effort put forth in a relationship could one day be insufficient and the love could therefore die. The one aspect of real flowers that I feel relates to relationships positively is that they are all so unique .... not one flower is the same as the others which shows that each relationship is one of a kind because the two people that it consists of are distinct as well. In Artificial Flowers, the poet explains that fake flowers are better than real because of their foundation. It is strong and prevailing, always the way you expect them to be. C.P. Cavafy explains that the craft of the hand presents more vivid colors that could not be produced by nature, which says to me that the effort put into a relationship will always overpower the notion that the couple is just meant to be together. Sure there is a reason for the occurrence but without dedication and work the relationship would fail. To me, "true Art" in this poem is a spiritual reference. The poet is presenting that glass and gold are more beautiful forms of art created by God than the simple colors and textures found in nature. I object this notion because I feel that nature produces more wonderful things than which could ever be improved or manufactured by man, but I also see the meaning behind Cavafys message. The permanent enhancements of the artificial flowers are important. You can find beautiful flowers just like you can find beautiful relationships. Starting from the foundation given, upgrading the flowers to fulfill an eternal life gives them a sense of worth and the chance for infinite admiration. The appreciation will always be there, because the beauty will not fade. The only thing that fades from real flowers is life, and partnerships take a certain dedication and constant valuing as well. The poet seems to suggest that we have to take advantage of opportunities to make the things we love about our lives last. 

Love After Love

Love After Love, by Derek Walcott, is a beautiful poem that reminds me of someone who has just gotten out of a long relationship. This stage of their life had temporarily changed them, and maybe not necessarily for the better. This person had lost his or herself along the way, and now that they are alone they must find who they were prior to the relationship. Feeling as if he or she has been broken in half, they must reconcile with who they once were in order to be whole once again.  Focusing every ounce of attention on the person they were with, they now are forced to face themselves and see themselves for who they truly are because it is all they have left. Sometimes complete dedication is a downfall. Cathexis needs to be contrasted in order for a healthy relationship and a healthy life, but when you are absolutely infatuated with someone, it can be hard to see that. Finally finding his or her self is a great feeling because they have finally realized that they have had this great being inside of them, it just was shaded because all of the light was being directed toward the other person. Love After Love describes the revelation of a person who has found the importance of themselves, and has realizes that they weren't even expecting this to happen. They had lost themselves so much along the way that they had no hope in recovering what they had before such an immense devotion. Now that it is over, they have to take down the remnants of what once was and focus on what their life has become. Rather than staring at the pictures and letters from the person who is now irrelevant to their lives, they have to sit down and attempt to love themselves. Life was not wasted loving this person, but now they must focus on what is left ... and what is left is themselves. This type of self awareness is absolutely necessary in the hopes of living life the way they want, the way they have always pictured it to be. Why sit around and bask in the sorrow of what is no longer there? They can now take life on and live it out according to their rules. If they find someone to enliven this newfound soul, that is wonderful. But if not, at least they love themselves and see the world for what it is, which is beautiful. 

"Does It Matter?"

Halfway through Steven King's Doctor Sleep. Having nightmares and such. I've noticed some emerging patterns but I'm not completely sure if they link quite yet. No obvious connection has been implied at the point I'm at in the novel right now, but the constant repetition of the phrase "Does it matter?" by various characters leads me to the assumption that this statement actually does matter. King consistently follows up this saying with the description as being a "cold tone". Along with the eerie tone behind this phrase, the only characters I've observed who say this are the ones involved in the phenomenon of "the shining". From my understanding, the shining is an extremely unusual ability that allows the possessor to look into the minds of others, recapture events from the past, and telepathically communicate with and manipulate others. Although some people have a slight touch of this gift, the main characters in this novel seem to have an overwhelming and at times troubling amount of this particular power. Rose the Hat is the primary leader of the life draining group called the "True Knot." She consistently uses this phrase to support her ideas if there is ever any questioning by her fellow tribe members. This group of people feasts on the souls of those who possess the shining, and have no mercy when it comes to the torture they implement while murdering these innocent people. The True eventually run into the extremely powerful Abra Stone, a little girl who possess enough power to telepathically communicate with others who have been born with the shining as well. The strength of Abra's "steam" draws the clan in, with desire in their eyes to feast on her and gain their much needed strength back. Dan Torrance is the man with whom she has communicated since before she could even read. This small world has lead Dan Torrance and Abra's parents to have close connections with the same people, allowing them all to assist Abra in her journey of defeating Rose the Hat. Now that I have completed the novel, I am able to say that there was no direct relevance to this saying and the overall plot of the book. It seems that the saying "does it matter?" was just a general thought of the characters and portrayed the bravery and confidence in themselves. Doctor Sleep was one of my favorite books so far, and the infinite plot twists and unexpected occurrences held my attention all the way through.   

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

In the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the fight scenes are specifically crafted to slow the high pace of the movie down while intensifying the sword fighting aspect of the movie. Producer Ang Lee strategically used ropes for the actors as opposed to the typical special effects for this film, because it sets it apart from all of the others and gives it an entirely new dynamic. The Chinese belief that if you have reached full spiritual awareness, walking on water and flying are plausible aspects of life is definitely portrayed through each fight scene. This control of elements is best displayed in the famous scene between Jen and Li Mui Bi in the forest of bamboo. While they are running through trees, flying through the branches and virtually defying the laws of physics, Jen and Li Mui Bi are actually illustrating a very important aspect of the film. This specific scene exemplifies the impact of the ropes controlling the actors, due to the fact that the Chinese belief is dramatically stressed and played out. Ang Lee's use of these visual effects allows the viewer to obtain a better understanding of what is actually occurring in the scene, and gives them time to comprehend the true meaning behind what is happening.

My Weekend with Morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie was assigned by theology teacher Mr. Ingram to each of his Death and Dying classes at the beginning of the school year. Usually, i dread reading books i am forced to read for school, but Tuesdays with Morrie has always sounded like a decent read to me. In class, we had the opportunity to watch one of the Nightline episodes Morrie had been featured on. This gave us readers the chance to relate a face to the main character and see exactly who Morrie is. It was even more interesting while reading the novel, coming across part of the book that were also segments in the Nightline episode. Being completely honest, i waited until the last possible moment to read this book. I kept procrastinating and pushing it off because i thought it was just another assignment. To my surprise, when i started reading Tuesdays with Morrie, i really couldn't put it down. I am actually glad that i read the entire book at once, because i was really able to get a full glimpse into the life of Morrie. He was a witty, charismatic, and spiritual man. These characteristics did not diminish when he was diagnosed with ALS, they actually grew much stronger. I am truly able to say that the life lessons found throughout this novel have changed my life for the better. The different perspectives i now have due to Morrie's outlooks on both life and death are amazing. The crying, laughing, and smiling caused by this novel was addicting, i didn't want it to end. I wanted to hear a much greater number of Morrie's viewpoints, i didn't want him to lose his ability to talk. I felt i knew him on a personal level through the great discussions Morrie and his former (and favorite) student Mitch had while his disease ran its final course. These two men depended on each other, and i believe every person who has read this book was depending on them as well. I looked forward to each chapter, each Tuesday they met. A different topic of our overall lives was discussed each Tuesday, and this continued for fourteen consecutive weeks. This book has taught me the importance of overall forgiveness, and in contrast, the unimportance of many of the things we focus our lives on every day. Although he was terrified, Morrie did not allow this disease to control his life. Instead, he wanted this misfortune to better his life. Morrie did not put concentration into material things, the newspaper, or the current and horrifying events of the physical world. Instead, he decided to focus on his inner self. He opened his heart up to the love of others. In turn, he allowed himself to love those around him with his entire heart. All of these changes Morrie made for himself also helped me change, just by reading it. The time i spent reading this book was so worth it, and my weekend with Morrie has forever altered my view on so many aspects of life. 

Gus' Sorrowful Statement

While reading The Fault in Our Stars written by John Green, it is evident that the two main characters, Augustus and Hazel, have both experienced countless events of pain throughout their lives. Aside from plain physical pain, these two teenagers have gone through trials of hurting and being hurt by those around them, along with those who care for them, not to mention those who know them on a much deeper level than just the cancer that has seemed to consume them. One quote that really took me by the heart was when Augustus and Hazel Grace were discussing the pure issue of pain. “That's the thing about pain," Augustus said, and then glanced back at me. "It demands to be felt". This statement stuck with me because it is completely relevant to everyone, not just those who are dealing with sickness. This quote shows that pain is practically insidious and commands to not be ignored. No matter how hard these two adolescents attempt to push their pain away, it will return again and again until it is finally acknowledged. This is such a hard concept for these two to accept because they have already hurt others just by being burdened by their diseases. Aside from all of the treatments they must endure, Augustus and Hazel have to also think about how they will eventually hurt one another. No matter how long they push away the idea of dying and the concept of breaking each others hearts, these two optimistic teenagers know they have to deal with the pain they have previously experienced, the struggles they are going through, and the inevitable pain they will eventually encounter. Augustus seems to be the more realistic one throughout the novel, but he also happens to be the most optimistic character in the book. He rarely accepts Hazel's (at times) defeated attitude and never lets her give up hope. Hope for a better future, hope for better times, and hope for the long term continuation of their relationship. He speaks of their future as indefinite while also suggesting the possibility of their death at any moment. Gus' explanation that pain demands to be felt shows that there is no way for them to sidestep the literal pain and emotional grief they are forced to suffer with. This entire book is so captivating because of the way John Green describes the pain felt by the two characters in a way that we can relate to. Just as us healthy humans are unable to force out the thought of pain while it is tugging on our anatomical being, these two cancer stricken teenagers must deal with this battle on a daily basis.

The Perfection in Relation

So many of my classmates have read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and had become obsessed with the literature. After hearing about its excellence & looking up the story line a couple of weeks ago just to get the gist of the book, I felt completely compelled to read it when i was on the computer in the library and the book was weirdly & literally right next to me (on Mrs. Hadjipanayis' new and exciting spinny book shelves). Only a few periods had passed by since i had gotten this book, and i was already close to being half way finished. First  of all, the age relevance of "Hazel Grace" to me automatically allowed a connection to develop between the main character and myself. Although i have no way of relating to her in the area of great sickness, let alone terminal cancer, i can connect with the feelings she has towards her parents, her friends, and her new love - "Gus". The way Hazel describes everything throughout the novel is humorous yet tragic. This piece of literature is delicious in the incredibly constructed adjectival phrases and it is in fact the language of this book is what helped me connect so deeply to the characters. Each of the characters sound practically like they're writing an essay with every conversation they have. Hazel's description of absolutely every event and the way she relays every situation to the reader is absolutely captivating, making me feel like i'll miss her when her impending demise arrives. The parents of Hazel are going through just about the roughest point in their lives, and just as Hazel points out, the only thing worse than biting it from cancer at sixteen is having your kid bite it from cancer at sixteen. The struggle they're going through is evident throughout the novel, but with every situation they are faced with, Hazel's parents give the reader little glimpses of how they are similar to many real life parents. Hazel's friend Kaitlyn also demonstrates true characteristics of a friend who has a friend suffering from cancer. The way Kaitlyn struggles to get comfortable with the entire ordeal is completely realistic and is basically the way i feel that i would handle such a case. Finally, the love shared between Hazel and Gus is magical and at points seems too good to be true. But i mean if you took any young relationship there are bound to be moments that seem completely perfect and impossible. The way these two people mesh together at such rough points in there lives is beautiful, and the way each of them drown their situations in humor makes things all that better. They help each other, as anyone in love would, but in this case the two people were obviously put in each others lives to help one another live an all around better life. Although i have never experienced such a horrible events in my own life, i am able to see how one may suffer from such situations, and i am also able to connect to this book through each and every character's realistic nature.

Life Laws

Life builds. All lessons constantly occur over and over until we realize how to change them. One on top of another, we gradually build up our life lessons until we have conquered them completely. Once we get the hang of one life situation we can start to see how the lessons we have learned from each experience show themselves in a different light throughout our lives, even in the slightest of ways. Struggling with one particular thing is actually an amazing opportunity, and it is important to realize that. When we overcome one struggle and learn the lesson that the situation was meant to present to us we are able to move on to the next chapter of our lives, which is bound to be filled with just as many challenges. It's life. As lists of life go, this list just about sums up every aspect. Covering subjects such as lessons, time, the presence of others, and choices, this list is perfect. My list would be altered in literally the littlest way possible. I would just add more about happiness. Being human, we are completely obligated to be happy. I feel that humans feel the need to display their happiness and compete to see who has the happiest and most fulfilling life. This shouldn't be the case in my opinion. Make your happiness your own, and make it count. I feel that those who constantly post social network pictures and comments about all of the fun they have and who strive to gain the most "likes" on everything are not truly the happiest people. Never count your happiness and the worth of your life on things like that. Its pointless and insubstantial compared to the entirety of our likes as human beings. I would tell a junior that they have no reason to worry about mistakes they have made. As this list sums up, lessons are made from the things we consider mistakes. But there really are no mistakes, so just don't worry. Through every situation, if you try your absolute best there will always be a positive outcome. No matter if the lesson is learned through your friends, family, grades or participation in sports, there will always be something good to come from the place you are now. You are meant to be exactly where you are.

Aunt Helen?

As my favorite story The Perks of Being a Wallflower unfolds, author Stephen Chbosky displays the main character for what he has truly become; the epitome of a wallflower. Charlie is a high school freshman in the early '90s. The reader is quickly able to assume that Charlie possess social or psychological challenges, due to his continuous explanations of visual feelings and vivid mental experiences he has, through his letters. The reader may also presume that there is a cause for these problems, but what exactly could it be? He is super shy and quiet. He doesn't want to rock the boat, want to speak out, or even want to be noticed at all. At first Charlie seems happy with being alone, but the couple of friendships he develops throughout the book seem to prove this theory wrong. His social abilities are weak, only until he has formed solidified relationships with a select few students who also attend his high school. They happen to be seniors, and their names are Sam and Patrick. No other relationship the reader is exposed to comes close to meaning as much as the friendship Charlie, Sam, and Patrick share. Except, however, that which Charlie shared with his aunt Helen. Charlie recounts many memories he shared with his aunt, and emphasizes the fact that she is the one and only person who brought him both a Christmas and Birthday present, since they were on the same day. This makes him feel special, and compared to his sister and brother, Charlie is Aunt Helen's favorite. There is an underlying background story to Aunt Helen that is obvious to the reader only when we learn that Charlie's mother had been physically abused by her father. This is the time when the reader becomes aware of the fact that Aunt Helen had been also abused as a child, but in her unfortunate case, her abuse was sexually. The theme of abuse is common throughout the novel, because it is a life experience that is also shared by Sam. As Sam and Charlie's friendship grew stronger, Sam felt that she was able to share that personal tragedy with him. Her confession made Charlie much more upset than he assumed anyone else would have been from hearing this, and it puzzled him tremendously. This event leads the reader to question if his reaction was it due to the overwhelming amount of love he had for Sam, or because he could relate to the experience himself. The subtle hints offered by the author throughout the novel will lead the reader to soon discover that both aspects of that particular question are accurate in relevance to Charlie's life. Toward the end of the novel, Charlie explains that his parents had found him in a state of unresponsive trance, in which he confessed to the times he was sexually abused by his beloved aunt. His family had no clue that this had been happening for years when she would babysit the children, nor did the reader expect this to be the cause of his social anxiety. This curveball hits every reader hard, because of how special and touching the relationship is. It's intriguing how easily sexual abuse can go unnoticed by the reader. This was the major plot of the entire novel, and it doesn't even cross the mind of the reader until it is spelled out to us by Charlie.    

nd only person who brought him both a Christmas and Birthday present, since they were on the same day. This makes him feel special, and compared to his sister and brother, Charlie is Aunt Helen's favorite. There is an underlying background story to Aunt Helen that is obvious to the reader only when we learn that Charlie's mother had been physically abused by her father. This is the time when the reader becomes aware of the fact that Aunt Helen had been also abused as a child, but in her unfortunate case, her abuse was sexually. The theme of abuse is common throughout the novel, because it is a life experience that is also shared by Sam. As Sam and Charlie's friendship grew stronger, Sam felt that she was able to share that personal tragedy with him. Her confession made Charlie much more upset than he assumed anyone else would have been from hearing this, and it puzzled him tremendously. This event leads the reader to question if his reaction was it due to the overwhelming amount of love he had for Sam, or because he could relate to the experience himself. The subtle hints offered by the author throughout the novel will lead the reader to soon discover that both aspects of that particular question are accurate in relevance to Charlie's life. Toward the end of the novel, Charlie explains that his parents had found him in a state of unresponsive trance, in which he confessed to the times he was sexually abused by his beloved aunt. His family had no clue that this had been happening for years when she would babysit the children, nor did the reader expect this to be the cause of his social anxiety. This curveball hits every reader hard, because of how special and touching the relationship is. It's intriguing how easily sexual abuse can go unnoticed by the reader. This was the major plot of the entire novel, and it doesn't even cross the mind of the reader until it is spelled out to us by Charlie. 

   

Bill's Beneficial Beauty *

Throughout the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, author Stephen Chbosky gives the reader the impression that Charlie, the main character, has great relationships with everyone who is in his life. It is kind of intriguing that one of the closest friendships he has happens to be with his freshman year English teacher, Bill. Giving him so many awesome books to read, Bill has Charlie spend his free time writing extra essays, which serves as a great way to keep him busy. It is apparent to the reader that Charlie has social and/or psychological problems, since he repeatedly describes his thought processes and breakdowns in the letters he writes to an unknown receiver. Somehow, Bill also seems to be familiar with Charlie's instability, and views reading and writing as an escape from reality. Each book acts as a story to Charlie, and he mentions some amazing novels such as: The Fountainhead, Naked Lunch, On the Road, and This side of Paradise. Although Charlie may not fully understand each book, Bill always reassures him that there really is no right way to interoperate this literature. Bill is constantly telling Charlie to act more as a filter than a sponge while reading the books he lends him. This stood out to me because of how easily Charlie's environment is able to negatively influence him, so Bill makes sure Charlie knows to not take the writings too literally. Everything Bill presents to Charlie is so beneficial to his life that the novel would not be complete without him. He is that one teacher that influences you so much that it's inspiring. Charlie views Bill as the best teacher he has had so far, and that's awesome because it is actually Bill's first year teaching! Even though it is Bill's first year and he is just getting familiar with the whole teaching thing, he seems to be able to feel Charlie's pain and acts upon his intuition. Bill provides Charlie with a way to stay occupied that involves something that they both love to do. They share interests and firsts, which is something that really stood out to me about their relationship. They both get lost in reading and writing, and view it as a way to escape reality. Charlie writes letters that constitute the whole entire novel. Charlie and Bill also feel lost in this big school, full of kids and teachers expecting the most out of them, and sometimes even more than they're able to offer. They are going through this high school career together, and when Charlie's closest friends leave for college next fall, Bill will take the role as an equally great friendship. Their relationship isn't forced at all, Bill is his just his English teacher so he really doesn't feel obligated to reach out to Charlie as a friend. But he does, and its awesome that he does. It pretty much saves Charlie. It's his freshman year of high school, and his best friend had just taken his life a year before. The kid is suffering so much and Bill makes him feel comfortable in his class. Bill doesn't think he's a weirdo or make fun of him the way the students do. Charlie doesn't feel lost in Bill's classroom, and the most beautiful thing about their bond is that it's completely natural.

A Quite Quidditative Quote

In Stephen Chbosky's Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie, the main character, has experienced many things throughout his life that have left him feeling completely invisible and abandoned. Feeling helplessly alone, Charlie resorts to writing multiple anonymous letters, sending them to unidentified receivers to express his day-to-day emotions. At one point in the story, Charlie describes his reoccurring and paralyzing feeling by saying, "It's kind of like when you look at yourself in the mirror and you say your name. And it gets to a point where none of it seems real. Well, sometimes, I can do that, but I don't need an hour in front of a mirror. It just happens very fast, and things start to slip away. And I just open my eyes, and I see nothing. And then I start to breathe really hard trying to see something, but I can't. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it scares me." This particular quote ties the entire story together perfectly, by allowing the reader to better understand the way Charlie felt after everything he went through in his life. Giving an example of a way the person reading the story could actually attempt to feel the way Charlie feels is a great way to emphasize the tone of the entire story. Through each letter, Charlie tries to express his feelings in the best way possible, and in this case he did a wonderful job doing so. The way Stephen Chbosky depicts Charlie's feeling so precisely is meaningful to the reader, because everyone can at least partially relate to what he must be going through due to the implied tragedies. As the story unfolds, it is apparent that his best friend, Michael, had taken his life about a year before Charlie decided that writing letters would be a good coping mechanism for his feelings. Coming to terms with how he is truly feeling allows Charlie to deal with the loss much better than if he had just contained all of the emotions that resulted from his friend's death. It seems that the loss of Michael hit Charlie so hard because he was his best and only childhood friend. However, Michael's death was not the only time Charlie was exposed to losing someone close to him. The quote mentioned earlier is also related to the death of Charlie's aunt Helen. She was the most affectionate family member to Charlie, and throughout the story the reader gets the impression that they had an almost inseparable bond. Throughout the story, Charlie recounts many of the wonderful memories they had made together. He is even able to describe the day she passed with great and perfect detail. The great bond Charlie had with his aunt and his best friend is what makes it is so hard for him to accept their absence in his life. Everyone he is closest to leaves him so permanently. So, when he describes the feeling of everything uncontrollably slipping away from him resulting in him seeing nothing, it directly resembles the way he feels about his aunt and best friend slipping out of his life, leaving him with nothing but nothingness.  

Characters & Cinematics

As soon as I began to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky, I realized that the movie adaptation of the novel was available On Demand. Since I was already through the first few chapters, I really wanted to wait to see the movie until I finished reading. Ever since I can remember, everyone has been encouraged to read the book before seeing the film, and I usually do follow this standard. But a rainy Sunday near the beginning of the school year is probably the most perfect time to see a movie, so I couldn't stop myself from watching. My family and I watched the movie together, and each of us fell in love with not only the story line as a whole, but with each and every character in the movie as well. Emma Watson was the perfect fit for the role of Sam, the super eclectic girl with whom the main character, Charlie, falls hopelessly in love. Charlie, the handsome and seemingly normal freshman high school student actually struggling with countless mental ailments, was played by Logan Lerman. Although I have never heard of this specific actor, he did an amazing job portraying the emotions (and lack there of) of Charlie. As the main character, Charlie's feelings are the primary focus of the novel, and Logan Lerman depicts each emotion wonderfully throughout the film. Every personality in the movie is so likeable and easy to relate to, similar to each character in the novel. Since the book is written in the form of multiple letters anonymously written by Charlie, having an image of each character in my head actually did make reading the novel much more interesting. Even though it is common for most people to strive to read before watching, it was really cool to be able to relate the character's names throughout the novel to the appearance of the characters in the movie. However, you could technically take this viewpoint in the opposite direction by saying that reading the story initially makes seeing the cast of the movie even better, possibly due to the fact that you have already made judgments regarding each character in the book before you even had a visual image of who they actually are. But with The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I believe it could be beneficial to see the movie before reading the book, because neither the novel nor the movie will let you down!