Auggie, becoming one of them
p.282
It was like I was one of them. They all called me "little dude" now - even the jocjs. These big dudes I barely even knew before would knucle-punch me in the hallways now. - Auggie
I didn't expect "one of them" to hurt this much. It's suppose to be a relife that is the proof that Auggie finally made it to inside. I used this phrase for moments that felt obvious, so obvious that they were almost boring in how predictable they were. But through Wonder, both the book and the movie, I realized that what feels ordinary can be incredibly hard for others.
The book is told from multiple points of view, Auggie(the lead), Summer (Auggie’s best friend, not a girl friend.. though I secretly hope they’re doing well), Jack (Auggie’s best male friend), Via (Auggie’s sister), and others. As I read on, I found myself wanting to go deeper into the perspectives of his mom and dad. It felt like a shame that the parents didn’t have chapters of their own. Of course, the parents are portrayed through Auggie’s perspective, and I fully could feel how deeply they love him and how much they want him to grow up like an ordinary kid.
I ended up crying several times on the subway to work while reading Wonder. I mean, it’s the kind of book that makes most people tear up. I started reading books in their original English to improve my language skills, but I was often stuck behind a barrier I couldn’t quite get past on my own. (still, I think that struggle itself is a great way to build confidence.) So I chose this book because it felt easy to read without much hesitation. And yet, I never expected a book chosen so casually to leave such a deep aftertaste.
I'd like to write down a few scenes that made me cry.
p.50
I hate the way I eat. I know how weird it looks. I had a surgery to fix my cleft palate when I was a baby, and then a second cleft surgery when I was four, but I still have a hole in the roof of my mouth. And even though I had jaw-alignment surgery a few years ago, I have to chew food in the front of my mouth. I didn't even realize how this looked until I was at a birthday party once, and one of the kids told the mom of the birthday boy he didn't want to sit next to me because I was too messy with all the food crumbs shooting out of my mouth. I know the kid wasn't trying to be mean, but he got in big trouble later, and his mom called my mom that night to apologize. When I got home from the party, I went to the bathroom mirror and started eating a saltine cracker to see what I looked like when I was chewing. The kid was right. I eat like a tortoise, if you've ever seen a tortoise eating. Like some prehistoric swamp thing. - Auggie
On the first day of school, no one sits next to Auggie. and he accepts it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It shows how deeply he’s been hurt, and how early he had to grow up.
Then there is Summer, a thoughtful kid who comes over to sit with Auggie. Interestingly, the movie highlights the friendship between Jack and Auggie rather than Summer’s. In that version, it’s Jack who approaches Auggie firts, the weirdo who eats like a tortoise.
p. 279
"Mom, Am I alwats going to have to worrt about jerks like that?" I asked. "Like when I grow up, is it always going to be like this?
She didn't answer right away, but took my plate and glass and put them in the sink and rinsed them with water.
"There are always going to be jerks in the world, Auggie," she said, looking at me. "But I really believe, and Daddy really believes, that 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. Just like Jack was there for you. And Amos And those other kids."
"Oh yeah, Miles and Henry," I answered. "They were awesome, too. It's weird because Miles and Henry haven't even really been very nice to me at all during the year."
"Sometimes people surprise us," she said, rubbing the top of my head.
Maybe what made Auggie strong, stronger than anyone else, was having parents like this wise, steady, and quietly hopeful. In the movie, I can’t help but think of Julia Roberts’ expressions,
the look on her face as she watches Auggie and Jack walking home from school, chatting away and the moment when Auggie receives his award, when she is clearly overwhelmed with joy but tries not to cry.
Parents raise their children, of course. But sometimes, it feels like children raise their parents, too.
Auggie, be happy! you are a wonder!