18 symptoms are re-experiencing the event through dreams, flashbacks or acting out
the events in play. A person may also experience crying spells or periods of uncontrolled crying, isolating behavio urs or avoiding family and friends. The
other symptoms are mood swings or feelings of anger or fear, changes in sleep patterns, difficulty falling or staying asleep, sleeping too much and experiencing
nightmares and or sleep disturbances. The person who suffers from PTSD shows effort to avoid thoughts, feeling or activity that arouse recollections of the trauma.
The person also does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or a normal- life span and diminishes participation in significant activities. Perso n who suffers
from PTSD also shows the feeling of guilt about surviving the event or being unable to change the event or prevent the disaster.
B. Theoretical Framework
This study applies psychological approach. The researcher also uses some theories to support the findings. The researcher applies theory of character by
Forster in Abrams’s 1999 and theory of characterization by Murphy 1972.
These theories are used to analyze the character of Charlie in the novel. The theory of motivation by Maslow 1943, theory of personality by
Freud 1920 and theory of Post-Traumatic Social Disorder by Janoff-Bulman 1992 and Scott and Stradling 2001 help the researcher to find the meaning of
wallflower as depicted in Charlie’s character. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
19
C. Criticism
The review of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being A Wallflower has been done by several critics. One review is written by Aria 2014 published in
Good Reads. “The Perks of being a wallflower has to be one of the books that I could
relate to. It was very insightful and poignant that in most part of this book I felt like it was me writing those letters”
Aria stated that she could relate to Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
She felt that even though it was told from Charlie’s point of view, she could feel
that it was her writing the stories. The feeling of sadness in the novel is delivered to the readers very well. The reader could position themselves in
Charlie’s situation.
Relate to Aria’s review, the researcher agrees that novel could bring the readers into the emotion of the character. The researcher can see the world
through Charlie’s eyes. The reader can also relate to Charlie’s situation since the researcher has also gone through a teenage life just like Charlie does in the novel,
feeling pressure from friends as well as agitated.
D. Context
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a fiction novel written by Stephen Chbosky. It was first published in February 1
st
, 1999 by MTV Books. Chbosky is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. He was born on January
25
th
, 1970 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. In 1994 Chbosky began to work on The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He wrote after experiencing a bad
