Wonder

“What I wanted was to go to school, but only if I could be like every other kid going to school. Have lots of friends and hang out after school and stuff like that.” 

Though Auggie’s afraid of going to school with other kids, it’s only because of how others view him. Though he says he’s fine with how people stare at him, he’s still just a little kid who wants nothing more than to be befriended.

“Everyone born of God overcometh the world.” 

The doctors told Auggie’s parents that he wouldn’t live though the night when he was born. Miraculously, he proves them wrong. A nurse that began as a seemingly mean person whispers this to Auggie’s mom to give her strength and peace of mind. It affirms the value of perseverance, and it’s a great life lesson in general.

“I looked at Mom’s face, and that’s when I realized she was just as nervous as I was.” 

Auggie’s so caught up with his own feelings about meeting new people and being in a new environment that he doesn’t even realize initially that his mom is also nervous. This underscores how we tend to focus on our own problems despite others also having their own problems or worries.

‘“Like a lamb to the slaughter’: Something that you say about someone who goes somewhere calmly, not knowing that something unpleasant is going to happen to them.” 

Auggie overhears his father mention this in relation to starting middle school, but his parents never explain. When he looks it up later, he realizes that starting school means there may be unpleasant events in store for him.

“I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.” 

This quote underscores Auggie’s belief all along that people judge one another too much—and too readily—on superficial things like looks. Auggie loves Halloween because it’s the one time when people can’t judge him based on his face.

“‘But they don’t come back looking the same,’” he said. “‘I mean, they look completely different when they come back, right?’” 

Auggie and Summer discuss death and reincarnation. Though they don’t know exactly what happens, Auggie likes the idea of returning as someone completely different because he won’t have his face anymore. 

 “‘Jack, sometimes you don’t have to mean to hurt someone to hurt someone.’” 

When younger, Jack Will thinks that just because he didn’t mean to be rude to Auggie, he didn’t do anything wrong. His babysitter scolds him and tells him that he can still hurt someone even without intending to. This is what Auggie faces all the time—he’s hurt even by people who don’t necessarily mean to.

“We all know his name, though he doesn’t know ours.”

This quote shows just how much Auggie’s condition makes him stand out in the neighborhood. Though Auggie thinks he’s normal, everyone knows who he is despite him not knowing anyone else. As such, he can never escape other people’s perceptions of him.

“Fourthly, now that I know him, I would say I actually do want to be friends with August.” 

In the beginning, Jack Will didn’t want to be friends with Auggie because of what he looks like. Once he gets to know Auggie, however, he sees past his looks and realizes what a wonderful person he is. This underscores Auggie’s feelings that people solely judge him based on his looks.

“Mr. Browne’s December precept was: Fortune favors the bold.” 

Mr. Browne gives his students monthly precepts to write down and discuss. This one resonates with Jack Will because he feels that he has been bold in befriending Auggie and getting to know him as a human being, yet he’s also not bold enough to write this down for everyone to see.

“I was so mean. I don’t even know why. I’m not even sure what I said, but it was bad.” 

Jack Will talks badly about Auggie behind his back—or so he thinks. Auggie is really wearing a costume and overhears the conversation, and so he breaks off their friendship afterwards. This quote shows how anyone, even a good person at heart, can become overwhelmed by the desire to fit in and not realize the damage they’re doing.

‘“I know you’re a nice kid, Jack. And I know that sometimes even nice kids do dumb things, right?” 

Mr. Tushman calls Jack Will into his office because Jack Will punched Julian. Though he doesn’t know the full story yet, Mr. Tushman sees good in Jack Will, and instead of “going by the book” and expelling him, he uses this as a learning opportunity for Jack Will to cool down and deal with his emotions.

“As it turns out, Jack Will didn’t need to learn any of these virtues—he already had them in abundance.” 

Mr. Tushman receives a passive aggressive email from Julian’s mother that suggests that Jack Will is suffering from trauma because he’s had to befriend Auggie. Mr. Tushman affirms that Jack Will has virtues necessary to befriend Auggie; virtues which her son obviously lacks.

“It felt really awful being at the table by myself. I felt like everyone was watching me. It also made me feel like I had no friends.” 

Julian convinces everyone to stop being friends with Jack Will in an attempt to get Jack Will to stop being friends with Auggie. Now that Jack Will is essentially in Auggie’s position of being a social pariah, he understands what it’s like to be bullied.

“So I knew she was doing it [sitting with Auggie] just to be nice, and that was pretty brave, I thought.” 

Jack Will’s come a long way in being friends with Auggie. He initially doesn’t want to, then he befriends him only because he is told to, then he genuinely likes Auggie, only to then badmouth Auggie and lose him as a friend. He realizes that Summer likes Auggie just because of who Auggie is, regardless of whether her popularity will be affected.

“i can’t remember the last time anyone in my family said that [I love you] to me. by the time i go home, my tics have all stopped.” 

Justin comes from a dysfunctional family. He’s prone to nervous tics, but when he meets Via’s family and sees how loving they are even to people not in their family, his nervousness goes away. This quote highlights how effective kindness is.

“olivia reminds me of a bird sometimes, how her feathers get all ruffled when she’s mad. and when she’s fragile like this, she’s a little lost bird looking for its nest. so I give her my wing to hide under.” 

Though Justin wishes his family would interact like Via’s family and love him like Via is loved, he’s still sensitive enough to see when someone else needs comfort. He protects Via when she needs it, revealing that everyone—even people who are usually strong-willed—need comforting at times.

“so doesn’t that make the universe a giant lottery, then? you purchase a ticket when you’re born. and it’s all just random whether you get a good ticket or a bad ticket. it’s all just luck.” 

Justin thinks about Auggie’s condition and wonders why the universe can be so cruel to one so young. He also wonders why he and other people get lucky and have normal looks. In this sense, life is an existential quagmire as random as winning the lottery.

“no, no, it’s not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn’t. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can’t see.” 

Though Justin initially thinks of the universe as cruel and random, he reasons that it can’t be as bad as that. When he sees how Auggie is loved and protected by his family, and how he protects Via when he needs to, he realizes that the universe protects the weak.

“At first I thought he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking, but then he put his palms on his eyes and I realized he was crying.” 

Auggie always goes to his parents when he’s feeling sad or scared. Parents are considered safe spaces for kids, and they’re not often seen as weak or prone to the same type of hardships that kids face. Auggie comes face to face with reality, however, when his dad cries after Daisy dies.

“I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.” 

Via takes over the lead role in Our Town for Miranda, and she receives a standing ovation. Even though Auggie’s not on the stage, the feeling is intense and congratulatory enough for him to see the value of affirmation for a job well done.

“[…] there are more good people on this earth than bad people, and the good people watch out for each other and take care of each other.” 

Though Auggie is shaken because of being nearly assaulted by seventh graders on his school trip, his mother tries to calm his fears. Though he will face adversity throughout his life, there are more kind people than mean people, and kind people, like Jack Will, look out for others.

“And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.” 

Mr. Tushman hits home to his students that kindness goes a long way in the world. Kindness is akin to godliness (in whatever form one believes), and the world needs more kindness so that others can flourish. This underscores the positive role of altruism.