Résumé:
This thesis explores the relationship between the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope (MPDG) and
Peter Pan syndrome (PPS), along with the embedded presence of traditional gender dynamics within their relationship in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999). While previous research primarily examined the trope from female perspectives, this study incorporates both female and male standpoints. It aims at investigating the psychological underpinnings of the
male protagonist’s dependence on the MPDG. This is to prove that the narrative function of this trope lies in facilitating the male’s growth, which subtly reinforces patriarchal hierarchies.Therefore, it employs a methodology that interconnects two theoretical frameworks to conduct a literary analysis of Chbosky’s novel. It integrates eclectic feminist and postfeminist theories,such as Simone de Beauvoir’s women’s situation, and Angela McRobbie’s double entanglement with diverse psychoanalytic lenses to explore PPS, including Donald Winnicott’s transitional objects, and Anna Freud’s repression. This reveals how Charlie’s trauma-induced arrested
development requires Sam’s catalytic presence, diminishing the female character’s agency and
perpetuating gender dynamics, where women are reduced to mere instruments for males’ self-
realization. The first chapter establishes the theoretical grounds to investigate the feminist
position of the MPDG and the psychological underpinnings of the male protagonist’s arrested
development. The second is dedicated to analyzing the novel through the introduced lenses.
Ultimately, this research offers a framework for understanding implicit structures of conventional
gender roles in literature, enriching both feminist and psychoanalytic literary discourses.
