Wonder: An illusion of Life

Tasnia Chowhdury

Ms. Asuncion

English 9H Block 3

7 January 2016

Wonder: An illusion of Life

            “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio tells the story of a ten-year-old boy called August Pullman. He isn’t born with a normal face like everyone else. He has the type of face that scares kids and makes people stare at him. He was born with a craniofacial disability. He has been homeschooled due to health issues and countless surgeries. Now he is going to Beecher prep for fifth grade. August only agreed to go to Beecher Prep because his parents think that it is time for him to interact with other kids. August has a sister named Via, who is very caring towards him and she supports Auggie as he struggles with the changes in his life. August has to check out his new school before attending it, so he meets some students named Jack, Summer and Julian, who tour him around the school. He becomes friends with Jack and Summer but Julian turns out to be mean. This story is told from Auggie’s perspective as well as his sister Via’s.

            His first day at Beecher Prep went well, however some students did not want to be near him. So, Jack sits next to August in all his classes and Summer sits with him in lunch. Jack is technically Auggie’s “assigned friend” and when Auggie finds out about it, they start drifting apart. Then they patch up during Christmas. Via is also learning about herself. She often feels jealous of the attention that August gets because of his deformity, but she also feels guilty for thinking that way. Her old friends leave her and she figures out who she really is. Miranda is her former friend. Via gets shocked by Miranda’s new look, then both former friends start to drift apart. Via then reconnects with Miranda. Jack and August confront some older boys from a different school at a sleep-away camp. A group of boys who were against Jack and August help defend them from the bullies. After the incident, his classmates begin to get along with him, which creates a new bond among them as they also realize how smart and funny he is.

            In the end, August has a successful year at school. He gets an award for being diligent, which he doesn’t understand: “To me, though, I’m just me. An ordinary kid. But hey, if they want to give me a medal for being me, that’s okay. I’ll take it. 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.” (Palacio p.306) They all celebrate their graduation together. On the way to a party, August thanks his parents for making him go to Beecher Prep and his mom thanks him for being such a “wonder.” 

            August had a lot of ups and downs in his life; therefore his character was much similar to me. For example, August was torn between tough decisions. I also experienced that a lot of times, especially when I was in a depressing situation. I had to make tough decisions very wisely. Auggie did not want to go to Beecher prep, but he went because he wanted to make his parents proud. I can also see how Via and I have few similarities. She learned more about herself throughout the book and she understood how it felt to be in a situation like her brother. We all have a loving, supportive and protective family. They always guide me through tough times and support me. In the past few years, I have learned to be myself and not follow in people’s footsteps. August made me realize this. He never changed in the book and never cared about what others thought of him, even though people were very rude to him.

            This book also made me realize that you do not have to be perfect in order to impress people. There are other things in life that you could be worrying about. You should not stress over small problems, others have it even worse. No one realized how smart and funny Auggie was, until they came to know him better. If I put myself in Auggie’s situation, I would have never gone back to school. He was so brave to go through all this and pretend not to notice that people were staring at him and making fun of him.

            I hope that someday people would appreciate others and value them. They are humans; they are all our own kid. I also hope that people stop worrying about small things. The more you think about it, the more you feel anxious and worried. This book is amazing and it made me feel ashamed of how cruel people can be. Palacio created a believable world complete with the cruelty children can impose on one another and the complicity of childish adults. He also illustrated how kindness and empathy can trump cruelty. I never saw anyone bullying someone else but whenever I watch videos, movies or read books about it, it makes me feel so sad about what people go through every day. Don’t ever judge a person by their appearance. You haven’t stepped in their shoes and experienced their life.