Wonder (Pages 1-160)

"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.