This sentence is a warning that the following article may include spoilers about the book Wonder written by R. J. Palacio.
The book Wonder is about a boy named August Pullman, who has a different physical appearance than others. Throughout the story, Auggie faces many difficulties and discrimination because of his appearance. However, people around him, including his family, help him overcome these hardships. Moreover, Auggie himself tries his best to overcome them as well.
Auggie has a sister named Olivia Pullman, who attends a nearby high school in the story. As Via attends high school, she finds out that her friends are now too popular to hang out with her. Despite having this conflict, Via avoids talking to her parents about this issue. She did so because Via’s parents are often busy taking care of Auggie, so she learns not to ask for help from her parents ever since she was young. Then, Via meets a boy named Justin, and they sign up for a school theater. While the date for the show is coming up, Via hesitates to talk to her family about it because she enjoyed how people in the school did not know about Auggie being her brother. She enjoys being secretive. It led to a huge fight between the family. However, they could repair their relationship after realizing the importance of a family thanks to their dog.
On the other hand, Via is totally different from me because she is more mature. She learns independence and self-reliance from her busy parents instead of being upset with them. If I were in her situation, I would’ve remained upset with the fact that I am a child who needs my parents’ protection and affection. Moreover, If I were her, I would’ve invited Auggie to the show without hesitation because I am not ashamed of him. Even if someone tries to make fun of that, I would have stayed confident, knowing that the problem is with that person and not Auggie. However, I am a bit unsure about this because I don’t exactly know what and how much Via went through. If I learn about everything that she has gone through, I might be able to understand and even act like Via, who has faced a form of discrimination of having a brother who is different from others.
By: Miso Kim