I chose this picture not because it is the first event of the book, but because it is what sets off Charlie's whirlwind of emotion. Michael's suicide was hard for Charlie to understand, "As much as I feel sad, I think that not knowing is what really bothers me."

I chose this picture because it describes how Charlie sees the world. He's from the outside looking in - although he put himself there - and he's peering through the fog. Charlie often doesn't see the beauty in the world, much like how the shadow doesn't see the flower.

I chose this picture because it symbolizes the element of sexual abuse in the book. The white sheep is a metaphor for innocence, but it is shattered.

I feel that this quote is very relevant to the overall theme of the book. Charlie does live in a world of solitudes, silence, and privacy because he does not "participate" in life, he prefers to watch and think. Due to the fact that he is so detached he thinks of many insightful things that most teenagers wouldn't notice, thus the "meditation". Through his lack of social skills and awkwardness Charlie befriends two other outsiders, Sam and Patrick, and it grows to be a true friendship.

At first the drug use in the book seems like a funny accident at a party or just a detail to further the reader's knowledge on Charlie's friends, but the further you read you realize it's how Charlie escapes from the world. The fact that he feels the need to escape from the world says a lot about how lonely his life is.

I feel that this picture really expresses why Charlie gave mix tapes as gifts. It wasn't just because they were the first thing that came to mind, Charlie wasn't like that. He wanted the gifts to be meaningful and the songs were very special to him and he hoped they'd be special the the recipient as well.

Charlie feels that his crying should symbolize the grief he feels about Aunt Helen's death so he makes an effort not to cry anymore unless he has a valid reason. This is a very big sacrifice for Charlie because he's a very emotional person. This makes situations when he does cry seem even more intense.

The concept of family is very important in the book. The obvious is Charlie's biological family. They are all very supportive of each other even though they all have secrets (like all families do). The deeper example is the family of misfits that become Charlie's friends.