We all have interests in our lives that influence us and shapes us into the person we are. Pop culture from the present and past can greatly affect who we choose to be. From the movies we love to the songs that we jam to while driving, it all affects our personalities. I may not look like someone who loves listening to hard rock, but at the end of the day, that is just a small fact about me that makes me, me. Take a moment and think about your little quirks and favorite pop culture that makes you, you. 

Just like in real life, people have these fun things about them in novels that help develop their character. Steven Chbosky included both Pop culture and Classic Culture references in his 1999 novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower which was set during the early 1990’s to help show who Charlie was without directly telling you. This is a method known as “Show don’t tell” which allows readers to get to know their characters in a more interesting way. It is similar to how you get to know the people in your life, by learning bits and pieces about them while being with them rather than them telling you a list of facts about them. 

Some authors argue that pop references make books outdated after these references become less popular. Journalist, Jeff Vasishta noted that  “There was a time when mentioning cultural references of the era was frowned upon by academics for dating a piece of literature.” He then continues to explain that “Some novels have become time capsules to the era in which they were written simply because they are so steeped in references.” Vasishta doesn’t completely disagree with not using references, but to use them carefully and thoughtfully.

Tim Delaney, a sociology professor at State University of New York at Oswego, states that pop culture “appeals to people because it provides opportunities for both individual happiness and communal bonding”. I believe authors use popular culture references to create this connection between their work and their readers. Having these references build a level of communication between the author and his audience. 

Personally, I believe Chbosky used pop culture references from the 90’s and even some earlier ones that did in fact set the time frame of the book, but did not cause it to be outdated.  I’ve gathered a list of references made throughout the novel that Chbosky used to create Charlie’s personality.

The Big Boy Restaurant

I know growing up, my friends and I would go to Tim Hortons downtown to hang out and do schoolwork. In the novel, Charlie and his friends would go to the Big Boy restaurant to smoke cigarettes and hang out together. By doing this throughout the novel, it shows that Charlie was trying to fit in and hang out around other kids his age.  Chbosky could have used any restaurant or simply left it generic.

Some of you may be asking “what is a Big Boy Restaurant”? It is a classic fast food restaurant chain that was popular in the 90’s. Although many don’t know what it is anymore, there are still locations opened in California and Ohio. According to the franchise website David Frisch who was a restaurant owner in Cincinnati, Ohio met Bob Wian who designed the original “Big Boy” Hamburger at an industry convention. After earning permission to personalize the hamburger, Frisch created a unique sauce to add the finishing touch to the burger. This became a huge hit in his restaurants and thus created the Big Boy Franchise.

M*A*S*H

One of the best ways to spend family time is to bond while watching a Television show. In the novel, Charlie and his family watched M*A*S*H together as a way to spend time together. According to the Washington Post, 106 million people watched the finale episode in 1983.

Although Charlie’s family was watching the show years after the finale, it still had a large impact on them. This TV show showed the emotional side of Charlie’s father when they were watching the season finale in the novel. I find Charlie’s admiration for this Television show an example of his maturity level. He may be an adolescent, but he’s watching a show that aired before his time and was not your typical show for a kid of the 90’s to indulge in. This show is based off of serious, historical events. You can tell his immaturity from his lack of understanding why his dad was emotional during the last episode. I think Charlie was using this time spent with family watching M*A*S*H to fit in with his own family. He wanted to prove to his family he wasn’t as young and naive as everyone else his age made him feel.

Mixtapes

Before there was Spotify and Apple music, people created mixtapes to get all their favorite songs available for listening. Ever had someone create a playlist that reminded them of you? Yeah, me neither, but when Charlie did this for Patrick and I almost cried when reading about it. 

Making a mixtape was a load of work. You had to compile a list of songs, have a blank cassette tape and technology that took 20 years to do so. Okay, that may have been an exaggeration, but it was a long process. 

Charlie creating this mixtape for Patrick showed the kind of person he was. He valued his friendships and wanted to go above and beyond for them. I believe Chbosky chose this type of gift from Charlie to Patrick carefully. It was sentimental and showed the “bromance” between them. Music makes people feel less alone. By Charlie giving Patrick this mixtape I believe it’s a way of saying “If I’m not with you during your times of hardships, then at least there’s a piece of me with you when you need someone.” In the end, Charlie gives the love to others he wishes was returned to him.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

“Let’s do the Time-Warp Again” I scream into my karaoke microphone. Okay, maybe I would if I had a karaoke microphone. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a huge influence on Charlie and his friends. They spend evenings acting out the show on a regular basis. I found this to be an odd pastime for teenagers to partake in, but it also reminds me of all the weird activities my theatre friends and I would do. It takes a special kind to enjoy musical theatre on a regular basis.

When first produced, this show stirred up a huge pot of controversies and questions about it’s motive and impact on people. This show is definitely not for the closed minded which I think is exactly why Charlie loves it so much. Charlie is an open-minded guy who is accepting of everything despite other’s opinions. 

Saturday Night Live

We all need a good laugh every now and then. Charlie would watch this show with his Aunt Helen. The time that was spent with his Aunt Helen was very important to him growing up. We don’t find out until later the impact of this time spent with Helen would end up being. 

Saturday Night Live is a sitcom TV show that is still running to this day. It’s meant to be an easy watch and to provide dramatic relief to viewers. I find this interesting due to Charlie’s typical way of spending time. I believe this show was used as a distraction with his Aunt Helen due to it’s humorous nature. Charlie didn’t seem like the type to enjoy this type of humor, but I think that showed that he would be willing to spend time with people even if it’s out of his comfort zone.

How to Kill a Mockingbird

Charlie was given numerous books to read and write about by his English teacher, but you could tell throughout the novel that this book impacted Charlie. He constantly referred to this book throughout the novel. Charlie would read books to escape his reality. Most of the books he read had a character in it that was an outsider or someone who was misunderstood. Charlie could relate to How to Kill a Mockingbird because he was an outsider just like numerous characters in the novel. 

Charlie lacked the ability to connect with the people in his life. He either couldn’t relate or his lack of social skills prohibited him. However, with books and characters he could get attached and reread until he understood their soul from his perspective.

The Smith’s

My love for rock bands from this time period, made my heart so happy at the mention of The Smith’s in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I found the decision to use The Smith’s as Charlie’s favorite band rather interesting because although they were famous they weren’t as popular as some of the other bands of that time. The Smith’s also faced a lot of controversy during their time. Similar to Charlie the were often misinterpreted. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was the point. This band was edgy and different from other bands. I find this similar to the description of Charlie himself. Morrissey, lead vocalist of the band, faced many challenges and negative criticism. In an article written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the Smith’s as “One of the great bands of the ’80s, driven equally by Johnny Marr’s dexterous guitar riffs and Morrissey’s fiercely witty wordplay.”

Steven Chbosky didn’t just add these references in the novel to add flavor. He added these references to allow us to have a better glimpse into Charlie’s world. Some professional writers would argue that adding these types of references outdated or change the focus of the novel. I don’t believe this occurred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I believe these references helped move the plot and created characters you could relate to. Chbosky carefully and thoughtfully plotted these references throughout to create an interesting read. If Charlie liking these interests made him weird, then I’m right there with him!

Works Cited

Andrews, Travis. “106 Million People Watched ‘M.A.S.H.’ Finale 35 Years Ago. No Scripted Show since Has Come Close.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/28/106-million-people-watched-mash-finale-35-years-ago-no-scripted-show-has-come-close-since/.

Delaney, Tim. “Pop Culture: An Overview.” Philosophy Now: a Magazine of Ideas, 2007, https://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview.

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “The Smiths: Biography & History.” AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-smiths-mn0000899530/biography.

Giphy. “Mash GIFs – Get the Best GIF on GIPHY.” GIPHY, https://giphy.com/explore/mash.

Giphy. “Mixtape GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY.” GIPHY, GIPHY, 17 May 2017, https://giphy.com/gifs/mixtape-9hY8yDz5RXsqI.

Giphy. “To Kill A Mockingbird GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY.” GIPHY, GIPHY, 11 Apr. 2018, https://giphy.com/gifs/to-kill-a-mockingbird-gif-sMGIGOO0JHZNS.

Giphy. “Disappointed The Smiths GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY.” GIPHY, GIPHY, 22 Mar. 2018, https://giphy.com/gifs/kardashian-jackie-K6Nd8PJvBPPzy.

“Hamburger Gifs.” PICGIFS, https://www.picgifs.com/gifs/hamburger.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia. “Dying Laughing I May Have Wet My Pants GIF by I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia – Find & Share on GIPHY.” GIPHY, GIPHY, 28 May 2018, https://giphy.com/gifs/ImACelebrityAU-imacelebrityau-xT5P0JjrZgCPsurlqo.

“Our Story about Frisch’s Big Boy.” Frisch’s Big Boy, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.frischs.com/story/.

Rocky Horror Gif on Tumblr, https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/rocky-horror-gif.

Vasishta, Jeff. “Weaving Pop Culture Into Your Writing.” Institute For Writers, 15 Aug. 2017, https://www.instituteforwriters.com/weaving-pop-culture-into-your-writing.aspx.