Analysis Of Wonder By R. J. Palacio

Wonder by R. J. Palacio is a coming of age story about a young boy named August Pullman. As a boy with a severe genetic cranio-facial abnormality, August has only ever been home schooled. However, August is about to start 5th grade at a local private school. Through a shifting narrative, we learn about August and those around him. First we see things from August's perspective to learn about his life an medical condition. As he is slowly introduced to the idea of school, we see his view of the world. Despite students being rude or unable to know how to interact with him, August handles this new experience fairly well. Julian and his friends are jerks, but August makes friends with Summer and Jack. However, when Halloween comes, Jack is overheard

At the fifth grade retreat, August will be spending the night away from his parents for the first time in his life. After a fun day at the fairgrounds August and Jack settle in to watch The Sound of Music, but then they get up to go to the bathroom. In the woods they are confronted by 7th graders. Fellow students of Beecher Prep, Amos, Miles, and Henry, come to their aid and a fight breaks out. The all run from the 7th graders and get lost in the cornfield. August has lost his hearing aids, but they are unable to find them in the dark. By the time they get back, the boys have bonded and word about their exploits spread around the school kids. The next day August's parents come to pick them up and are informed about the events from the previous evening. His father and sister arrive home with a puppy, which the name Bear. The next day August and Olivia stay home from school and play with the puppy. By the time August returns to school, the whole school has heard of his fairground adventures and everyone treats him like a school legend. On the last day of school there is a graduation ceremony. Principal Tushman gives a heart warming speech before giving out prizes. The last prize he awards is the Henry Ward Beecher medal, which is given to the person “whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.” This is awarded to August, to which the whole school him a standing ovation. Afterwards, the

Those lyrics invoked an image of how August feels, as well as people in similar situations as him. For doctors to stare at a patient like a sideshow must make the patient feel like they were seen as less than human. R. J. Palacio uses the story to teach people the value of friendship and looking beyond appearances. There are also many other underlying message within the novel about kindness and trying new things. The novel stems from an experience the author had at an ice cream store with her children. A girl with a “significant craniofacial difference” scared her son and made him cry. Much like in Wonder, she quickly rushed out of the ice cream store rather than risk her child making the little girl uncomfortable. This experience made her think about what it would be like to be that little girl, which lead to the creation of the novel. The real life experiences of R. J. help to create the realistic feeling to her novel. Her choice to use different perspectives was wisely chosen, in order to show the way that August touches and changes lives. Showing different points of view on the same incident show the way things can be misunderstood, such as with the friendship between Olivia and Miranda. Each perspective builds on one another to create the world of Wonder. Like with life, one perspective is not all there is to an experience. The lessons of this story extend beyond