Wonder By R. J. Palacio Analysis

The main idea of book “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio is to be kind to others despite your differences with each other. The theme, kindness, has been shown many times throughout the book, especially when August Pullman went to school for the first time. In this novel August was treated unkind by his peers despite this he was still kind to them. In the book August was a new student at his school trying to fit in and make friends but it is extremely difficult since August has Mandibulofacial Dysostosis which causes him to look different from everyone else. August has always been self-conscious about his face but starting school with kids who are not used to the way he looks and does not act nice to him, have had a very large effect on the way he thinks of himself and his self-confidence. Kindness was proven as a big theme in the novel when Mr. Browne repeatedly tells the kids to be nice to one another, when Jack and Summer befriend August because they truly think August is funny, cool and smart even though he has a facial deformity, and when Mr. Tushman gave the speech about how a person’s life is not determined by their awards and achievements but rather by how kind they were throughout their lifetime.

Mr. Browne’s precepts have always represented kindness in one way or another.

Browne would write a precept on the board to spread the message that the precept is important and needs to be followed. A precept is a saying or a quote that a person should live by and almost all of his precepts had represented kindness and being kind to other people. Each precept would be followed up with an assignment for the students to interpret it any way they want but it is mainly to help the students realize the importance of the precept and that it is better to live by the precept than to ignore it. Mr. Browne does this to teach kindness to his student in an attempt for the kids to treat August