Character Analysis of Brad in the Perks of Being a Wallflower, a Novel by Stephen Chbosky

A person is never truly perfect, and never truly evil. They are always made up of good and bad qualities which makes them whole. The Perks of Being a Wallflower delves into the life of a young adolescent, Charlie. The novel explores Charlie's friendships in high school, the struggles of his past, and the complicated relationships with his classmates. One character who stands out in this novel is Brad, a secretly gay football player who keeps a secret relationship with Patrick, one of Charlie's best friends. Brad is a shining example of a character who has both positive and negative traits, and blends them seamlessly throughout the novel. He shows an inspiring amount of love and tenderness, one of his strongest qualities, yet he also demonstrates terrifying viciousness, and incredible terror which influences all of his actions.

Brad's most apparent personality trait is the tenderness which he shows with Patrick. Although he has a girlfriend, he has fallen in love with Patrick, and his affection deeply scares him. "When they were finished, Brad started to cry really hard. He had been drinking a lot. And getting really really stoned. No matter what Patrick did, Brad kept crying." (Chbosky,) Brad has finally realized his feeling for Patrick, yet is afraid to accept them. He doesn't want to come out of the closet yet, but he understands that he can't hide his emotions anymore. His ability to express his inner feelings, even through so much outside hate and peer pressure, shows how much love he has within him, and is what enables him to overpower much of the hostility he feels towards the idea of being gay.

Brad is very loving, however just like most other teenagers, he cares too much about how others perceive him. This quality begins to alienate those he cares for, and deeply hurt them. "And they ended up fooling around right there in the basement..... But Monday in school, Brad kept saying the same thing. 'Man, I was so wasted. I don't remember a thing." He said it to everyone who was at the party. He said it a few times to the same people. He even said it to Patrick.

Order custom essay Character Analysis of Brad in the Perks of Being a Wallflower, a Novel by Stephen Chbosky with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

Nobody saw Patrick and Brad fool around, but Brad kept saying it anyway." (Chbosky,) Brad is so afraid that his peers will discover that he is gay, and so he is willing to cut any possibilities that the truth will leak out. Although no one saw Brad and Patrick together, he feels that his lies make him safer, even if that means staying away from Patrick with others around. Because he cares so much about how his friends and classmates perceive him, Brad doesn't express who he really is, hiding his true identity and hiding the fact that he loves Patrick.

Brad's worry of how others view him often causes him to hurt his loved ones. He will do anything to protect himself, and shows a stunningly vicious side when protecting his image in school. "Brad sat quiet for a second, but his buddies kept egging him on by pushing his shoulders. Brad looked up at Patrick and said softer and meaner than the last time, 'I called you a faggot."" (Chbosky,) Brad insults Patrick because he wants no correlation with him, and feels pressured in front of his friends.

He thinks that his cruel words will keep him safe, and is willing to deeply hurt Patrick to do so. Brad feels that as long as his image stays intact, Patrick is something he is willing to sacrifice. This vicious quality causes him to both lose Patrick, and to make new enemies out of Sam and Charlie, Patrick's best friends.

Brad has many qualities, both positive and negative. His strongest personality trait, most clear in the novel, is the love and tenderness he shows when with Patrick. However because he has so many other negative traits, mainly his worry of how others perceive him, and strong viciousness, he ends up losing Patrick. This idea that simply love is not enough is a lesson which should be well learned by many. When one has both positive and negative traits, the negative qualities can often overpower the positive qualities, and destroy the good things in one's life. Simply one strong trait such as affection isn't enough if one holds onto all of the hatred and viciousness.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer