breakfast club vs perks of being a wallflower

Breakfast Club vs. Perks of Being a Wallflower

COMPARE THE WAY IN WHICH THE AUTHORS OF 2 TEXTS EXPLORE THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY.

John Hughes' famous classic Breakfast Club (1985) illustrates the storyline of life as a teenager and the struggles faced growing up and fitting in, similar to Stephen Chbosky's Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). Both texts find characters discovering themselves as they face the hallowed halls of high school and end up realising they do not have to change to fit in. The text share a similarity that explores the challenges, experiences and experiments which teenagers go through on the journey of growing up.

The most difficult challenge about being a teenager is dealing with surrounding peers: the criticism, ridicule, gossip and peer pressure. Throughout everyday life challenges arise by teenagers pressuring one another to experiment with alcohol and illegal substances. These problems are common in both text where characters deal with drug use and abuse.

The Breakfast Club

Paul Gleason

Breakfast Club

In Breakfast Club, Brian, Claire and Bender share a joint (marijuana) in the school's library. The effect the drug has on Andrew and Bender causes them to share with the group the details of their respective, emotionally and physically abusive fathers. Stupid, worthless, no good, goddamn, freeloading son of a bitch. Retarded, big mouth, know-it-all, asshole, jerk. (Breakfast Club) Similarly in Perks all main characters face some form of emotional or physical abuse whether it be from a relative or partner. The main character Charlie, is introduced to marijuana, ecstasy and LSD by his older friends, when taken Charlie gains confidence and dares to be different. Between the two texts Perks digs deeper into the issues of abuse and drug use, considering the physiological effects these things can have on adolescents. Whereas Breakfast Club uses drugs to...