"I didn't destroy a Death Star or anything like that, but I did just get through the fifth grade. And that's not easy, even if you're not me."
-August (Page 308)
The second half of Wonder by R.J. Palacio initially continues with Jack's perspective as he tries to figure out why August is upset with him. When he finally decodes Summer's clue, he feels horrible. He is quickly given an opportunity to show his true colors when he punches Julian for taunting August. Although Jack gets suspended, Mr. Tushman ultimately understands that he had noble reasons for his actionsWe also learn that Julian is influenced by the words and actions of his mother, Melissa. She criticizes Mr. Tushman and Beecher Prep for allowing August to attend. Julian instigates a "war" among the fifth graders as he tries to turn people against Jack so that Jack will stop hanging out with Auggie. The next section is told from the perspective of Justin, Via's new boyfriend. Justin is the first outsider who really interacts with August's family, as he takes the time to get to know Via's parents and brother. He encourages Via to try out for the school play, Our Town, even though he ends up cast as the romantic lead opposite Miranda. Justin also learns about the conflict Jack and Auggie are facing at school and he stands up for Jack when Julian, Henry, and Miles try to mess with him. I'm going to hide the rest of the summary below because of spoilers!
Next, the perspective shifts back to August as he and Jack work on their project for the science fair. Things at school gradually improve as most other students tire of the "war" and cease playing the game "the plague." August receives hearing aids, which he fears will make him a target of bullying again. However, the hearing aids open up a world of new sounds for Auggie and are mostly ignored by his peers.
August and Via come into conflict, along with their parents, when he learns that Via didn't tell them about the school play because she didn't want him to embarrass her in front of her peers. The conflict is cut short when the family's dog, Daisy, suddenly becomes ill and is put to sleep. Via decides to invite the family to the play. At the beginning of the performance, they are shocked to see Via acting in the lead role instead of Miranda. She does a spectacular performance and earns a standing ovation. August is forced to confront the idea that he is not actually the center of the universe.
We then learn more about the events of the story from Miranda's viewpoint. She has been a minor character up to this point, but her perspective illustrates how all people are fighting different battles. She is jealous of Via's supportive family, which leads her to lie about her own home life while away at camp. Ironically, she adopts Via's story as her own, which makes her more popular. We also learn that Miranda faked being sick so that Via's family could see her act in the lead role. The two girls are able to reconcile, which makes Miranda happier than any previous popularity ever had.
The story concludes with August's perspective again. He joins his classmates on an overnight nature retreat. At first, things are going great, until he is confronted by some older students from another school. Miles, Henry, and Amos come to his aid and the boys end up in a physical conflict. Afterward, August gains respect from his peers for standing his ground during the fight.
Finally, we have the fifth grade graduation. After honor roll is announced and other academic awards given out, Mr. Tushman awards August the Henry Ward Beecher medal for his exceptional courage, kindness, and friendship. August receives his own standing ovation and realizes that, for the first time, everyone wants to be closer to him.
Style Choices
In addition to using different perspectives for the first person narrative, Palacio also plays around with the format of her writing. This add even more depth and voice to the characters. For example, she uses letters, email, and text messages to show how Jack and August reconcile their relationship, as well as introducing Melissa as another minor antagonist. It also allowed characters such as Melissa and Mr. Tushman to speak in first person without dedicating an entire section to them. Also, Justin's section is written in the way that one might expect him to write: very formally and with no capitalization. It adds another layer to characterization without having to describe anything at all. Essentially, she shows us more about the character instead of telling us. These different style choices give students the opportunity to expand their own writing. One activity could be to have them rewrite one of their own pieces with letters, emails, text messages, or even social media. They could also play around with different conventions to show how their character would actually write.
Sources
Palacio, R. J. (2012, February 14). Wonder. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
"When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind."
- Mr. Browne (Page 27)
The first half of Wonder by R.J. Palacio is divided into four parts, each from the perspective of a different character. The first part is from the perspective of the main character, August "Auggie" Pullman, a 10-year-old boy with a severely deformed face. Auggie doesn't go into much description about his deformity but illustrates the many ways that he is "not normal" and how people react to him in different facets of his life. The story begins as he is about to start fifth grade at Beecher Prep. This will be his first year in a real school since he had been homeschooled previously. Mr. Tushman, the school principal, introduces him to three students - Charlotte, Jack Will, and Julian - who are meant to guide and support him through this transition. Charlotte is kind but doesn't ultimately make an effort to befriend August. Julian is cruel, asking rude questions about Auggie's face and making it clear that his does not wish to interact with him. Jack Will, on the other hand, does take time to get to know August and the two become close friends. Their friendship is wrecked on Halloween, when August, dressed as the bleeding scream, overhears Jack badmouthing him to other students - saying that he is only nice to him because his mom and Mr. Tushman forced him. He even says that he would kill himself if he looked like August. Understandably, this devastates August and makes him doubtful that anyone would ever want to be his friend. Thankfully, he is still able to connect with Summer, another student with whom he bonded over their seasonal names. The next part is from the perspective of August's older sister, Via. Overall, she is a supportive and loving sister although her needs are often pushed aside in lieu of Auggie's. Via provides the first description of Auggie's appearance, but states that she could never see him the way other people do since he is, first and foremost, her brother. Via struggles to face the challenges of her first year of high school (shifting friend groups, missing her departed grandmother, and growing insecurities) while her parents place most of their attention on August's difficulties at school. The relationship between Auggie and Via is crucial, since she cares for and wants to protect him while also recognizing that he need to be treated less like a baby. In the next part, we see August from more of an outsider's perspective through Summer. She is pressured by other students to avoid Auggie, as their friendship is damaging to her reputation. She rejects this assumption and continues to be his friend, even while other students play a hurtful game called "the plague." Most students won't touch August, or anything he touches, for fear that they will contract "the plague." Summer is the only one who learns what August overheard on Halloween. She swears to keep his secret, but gives Jack the clue "bleeding scream." Finally, we learn about the events of the story through Jack's perspective. He was initially hesitant to step up and help August because he recalls seeing the strangely deformed kid around town when he was younger. As he reflects on the encounters, he realizes that even the most well-meaning people can be cruel and he knows that Auggie doesn't stand a chance in middle school. As Jack begins to hang out with August, he learns to see past his deformity and finds out that he's actually a pretty good friend. Jack is oblivious to how his actions impacted August. He doesn't understand Summer's clue about why Auggie is upset and decides to embrace his new ability to hang out with whoever he wants. However, we also learn that Jack feels out of place at school because he does not fit the rich-kid stereotype of most students at the private school.
Multiple Perspectives
The novel is written in first person, although the perspective of the narrator changes as the story progresses. Some of the events are retold, giving the reader different points of view on the same plot point, whereas some events are only told through one character's perspective. This is a unique story telling device that exemplifies how voice affects our writing. Students can compare and contract how different characters viewed the same events or even write their own interpretation of how another character might describe it. For example, we could think about the inner dialogue of Mr. Tushman, the other teachers, or August and Via's parents. Additionally, students could analyze why the author chose to write the story in this way rather than using just August's perspective or even a third-person narrator. On her website, R.J. Palacio states that she intended to "stay with Auggie for the whole story" (Palacio, n.d.), but felt that she needed to show the other perspectives in order to fully understand their motivations. She says:
Auggie’s a smart kid, and he notices a lot of things, but he doesn’t ever really know the full extent of the impact he has on people. And I didn’t want to make him one of the precocious kids who somehow knows things he isn’t supposed to know: I find those types of characters largely unbelievable, and I wanted Auggie to always be believable to me. (Palacio, n.d.)
She also notes that she didn't give the parents their own chapters because she wanted to keep the story child-driven. She didn't want it to be dragged down by the darker and more cynical realities of Auggie's life that would be exposed through his parents' viewpoints. I think this was a smart choice in order to make the book authentic for students. However, as an adult, I'm still curious to hear more about their perspective!
Choose Kind
Kindness is a large theme of the novel, as evidenced by Mr. Browne's precept at the beginning: "When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." In the video below, Palacio discusses her inspiration for writing the novel and how she wants to change the conversation around social interactions for middle-level students. I found it particularly poignant how she says that there is just an expectation that kids are going to be mean to each other, but that we can work to create a new expectation of choosing kindness.
As a result of this book, Penguin Random House created an anti-bullying initiative called Choose Kind. Click here to find out more about how to become a Certified Kind Classroom.
Sources
Choose Kind. (2018). Certified kind classroom challenge [Tumblr post]. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://choosekind.tumblr.com/certified-kind-classroom-challenge.
Palacio, R. J. (2012, February 14). Wonder. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. Palacio, R. J. (n.d.). About R.J. Palacio. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://wonderthebook.com/about. Random House Kids. (2012, July 27).Choose Kind Campaign [video file]. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://youtu.be/4psz--ziXB4.
