Part 8: August

There is much to say about this part of the novel. First off, the big fifth grade camping trip took place. It’s probably one of my favorite scenes in the book.  It’s when Jack and the other boys finally stand up for August. It’s been a long time coming if you ask me. I was waiting for the time when Jack would be put to the test again and this time he came through!  In the end, August, Jack, and the other boys are okay and eventually get back to the rest of the group.

When August gets home he meets Bear, their new dog.  I think it symbolizes August’s fresh start. After the camping trip going back to school August even says, “It was like I was one of them” (pg 282). No one see’s him anymore with as the “kid with the messed up face” he’s truly seen as a person, as someone just like them.  He has a new support system of friends that he has never had before. 

This last part tied together how much August has really grown as a person. He’s grown into an extraordinary young boy. “Greatness’ lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength… He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts…” (pg 304). August becomes the receiver of the Henry Ward Beecher medal for his class. “But hey, if they want to give me a medal for being me, that’s okay. I’ll take it. I didn’t destroy a Death Star or anything like that, but I did just get through the fifth grade. And that’s not easy, even if you’re not me,” (pg 306).  August finally got his standing ovation, he deserves it. 

On a side note I'd just like to say this book really touch my heart! I caught myself tearing up a couple times throughout the book. I will definitely suggest it to others! I already have suggested it to a couple people and I hope they do read it! Very touching, and inspirational. I loved it. 

“You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.” (pg 310)

Part 7: Miranda

I was excited to finally get to read about Miranda. From Auggie’s point of view she seemed like a very kind girl, one person who never seemed to see Auggie’s face as a downfall. She was the one who bought him his astronaut helmet that he wore for two years. She called him at the beginning of the school year to see how he was doing even though things were a bit awkward between her and Via.

There is almost always a reason behind why a girl suddenly changes her appearance or suddenly befriends a new group of friends. I was waiting to find out what her underlying reason was, turns out her parents had a bad divorce in a short amount of time with not many answer for Miranda. Safe to say that’ll get someone to change and try and cop with things in a different way.

I believe Miranda just lost her way, “The truth is she hadn’t changed at all: we had. We’d become these other people, and she was still the person she’d always been” (pg 239). She hadn’t must for her lies at camp to come back to school with her, she hadn’t meant to completely cut Via out of her life. She didn’t even like hanging out with her crowd, she just wanted to escape her home life and not talk about it which is exactly what her new group of friends allowed her to do. Giving up her opening night roll in the play, I believe was Miranda accepting everything in her life and making amends with Via and her family because she really felt as she was part of their family. She missed them.

Miranda always had August's best interest at heart. She got the director of the play to change the play from The Elephant Man to Our Town.  Elephant Man was a play about a man who was terribly deformed. She said her little brother had a birth defect and it would hit too close to home. Even though August wasn't her brother, she did it to protect both him and Via. They were her family after all.

Part 6: August

The first part of this chapter is August making the best of the situation.  The “war” going on in school with students on either Jack or Julian’s side or, neutral. They both made light of the situation and as it dragged on boys on Julian’s side started to see how much of a jerk he was. Everyone is starting to see how August truly is just a boy like everyone else.

August also receives his hearing aids.  He thinks he’ll look like Lobot from Star Wars if he wears them. “Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing” (pg 215). However as soon as he turns the hearing aids on, August forgets about looking like Lobot and his worries are gone because he can hear.

Another significant part is Daisy dying. I have to admit loosing Daisy hit me harder than I thought it would. August thought of Daisy as the only one who could look at him and not really see his face. This was really important to August. Daisy would lick his face; she was kind of his comfort or security blanket. She was there every night with him.  “And I wondered how it would feel to be in heaven someday and not have my face matter anymore. Just like it never, ever mattered to Daisy” (pg 227).

My favorite part of this section is when August says, “I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.” (pg 231)

Part 5: Justin

R.J. Palacio developed multiple very well rounded characters. She however made Justin’s part a little different. Justin’s part of the story was written without capitalization. I’m not sure why R.J. Palacio went about this style, but I liked it. It gave a little more edge to Justin’s character. Maybe because of his artistic side, he was written in this style.

I was a little hesitate when I first saw a part was going to be about Via’s boyfriend. I was wondering how he was going to fit into the story, but it turns out he’s just like Via. He’s a kind, thoughtful, compassionate, teenage who cares very deeply about the people in his life. Justin also has tics, which is something that makes him different man most teenage boys, so he’s able to kind of feel where August is coming from.

 He’s never had much of a family, “olivia’s family tell each other “i love you” all the time. i can’t remember the last time anyone in my family said that to me.”  (pg 192) Being with Via and her family it’s possibly the first time he’s felt really accepted into a family, loved. 

Justin also has his brave side. He stands up for the people he cares about or people he believes has good hearts, for example, Jack. Even though threatening and violence isn’t the answer to solving problems, R.J. does this to show the good intentions of Justin.

“yo listen up. don’t mess with jack… mess with him and you will be very, very sorry.”

Justin also cares very deeply for Via. He’s one of the only people in her life that she feels that she can completely confide in since their galaxy revolves around August. He compares Via to a bird. He also ends his part by questioning the universe and how it could do this to Auggie. Justin ends by the chapter by saying “but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds” (pg 204).

Part 4: Jack

“Now here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” –Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

First off, I loved the quote at the beginning of this part (the one above). It’s true for many of the characters in this story. August’s parents, Via, Summer, Justin, and even Jack after a rough patch. They all loved August because of his heart and the kind of person he is. They didn’t judge him based on his face like many of the kids in school did, like Julian.

I saw Jack as the most realistic character in the novel. He has many of the same struggles as most kids do during middle school. Jack was put to the test. On the day of Halloween Jack was talking with Julian and their friends about why Jack was friends with August. Without thinking August was around Jack went on to say, “I really think… if I looked like him, seriously, I think that’d I’d kill myself.”  (pg 77) Talking behind friends back is not a good characteristic, but let’s face it, growing up pretty much everyone has done it at least once to try and fit in. I think this is part of growing up. We make mistakes, but we learn.

Jack had a turning point. His turning point was punching Julian in the face. It was the first time Jack really stood up for August, the first time Jack became one of August’s true friends. I believe that Jack knows violence is not the answer, but secretly Julian deserved the punch in the face, ever since the first day showing August around the school.  A significant part of Jacks story is him being bullied, the “war” he is going through with Julian and his group. Jack doesn't retaliate, if anything August and him find a way to joke around about it. Even though the bullying is hurting Jack’s he doesn’t let it show. He finds a way to mask the hurt so August doesn’t see it along with giving the satisfaction to Julian and the others.

Jack also saw himself kind of on the outside and wanted to fit in because his parents weren’t rich like the rest of the kids. “I didn’t want anyone to know that I was the “hobo” who had taken the sled,” (pg 150). In a way, Jack feels a sort of connection to August like they’re on the outside looking in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND2-XCcwzt4&feature=kp

I thought of this song as a good way to describe August, but reading Jack’s part I feel as though he is on the outside just as August is in different ways. Yet somehow, they find a connection.

Part 3: Summer

I have to admit, Summer is one brave girl.  To be honest, I don’t know if I would have been able to do what she did on the first day of school. Summer first appears in Augusts’ part one when she randomly sat with him at lunch on the first day of school. She didn’t let the superficial judgment of the other girls or kids stop her. I have to admit I smiled pretty big when I read this part. I was so happy he didn’t have to sit by himself. Summer sat with him the first day of school because she felt sorry for him, but after that day she didn’t sit with him again because she felt sorry for him. But she went back every single day and sat with him because he was fun. She liked being his friend, she liked his company. Summer is the definition of a true friend.

“You’re a saint, Summer,” Ximena Chin said to me the other day. “I couldn't do what you’re doing.”(pg 119)

Summer was invited to Savanna’s party, a popular girl from school. Summer, being super excited, realized when she got there they really only wanted to coax her out of being friends with August. “you would be a lot more popular if you didn’t hang out with him so much” these girls tried to change who she was. Summer stood her ground beside August even though he wasn’t there. She never bad mouthed him, she was the bigger person. Summer is August’s first true friend.  She wasn’t asked by Mr. Tushman to befriend him or even go out of her way to be nice to him, she did it out of the goodness of her own heart. She wanted to be his friend. Ultimately, I believe Summer befriending him is what helps him get through his first few months of school. 

Even when everyone else in the school was playing the game “The Plague” and talking down about August, Summer stood by August’s side from the first day of school.

Part 2: Via

“August is the Sun. Me and Mom and Dad are planets orbiting the sun. The rest of our family and friends are asteroids and comets floating around the planets orbiting the Sun.” (pg 82)

Via understands that in her family, Auggie is always kind of put first. “ My worst day, worst fall, worst headache, worst bruise, worst cramp, worst mean thing anyone could say has always been nothing compared to what August has gone through. This isn’t me being noble, by the way: it’s just the way I know it is.”

I see Via as kind of the warrior, or protector of her brother. Throughout this part of the story we get to see Via’s side of the story, through her eyes. We get an outside view of Auggie’s life. We can feel how she feels when people stand there with their jaws open staring at him, or turning to walk away. We feel anger towards those kids who stand there and stare.  We see how people treat her a little differently knowing August is her brother. We see the galaxy in work from Via’s stand point.

It’s been this way her whole life, Auggies’ needs being put first in every aspect. The only person who ever really put Via first, “who looked out for her”, was her Grans. When she passed away Via felt lonely in this galaxy that only revolved around August.

“I’ve gotten so used to not complaining.”

Via is entering high school. The time in life when everything is changing, friendships, style, people. Everyone is figuring out who they are and who they want to be in high school. Via's best friend has found a different crowd to hang out with and she’s having a rough time transitioning into the high school scene and finding out where she fits in. But with the galaxy revolving around Auggie, she knows she can’t complain about this because school has to be harder for him. We see Via struggle with this universe throughout this book, but she stays true to herself. She is kind, compassionate, humble, and knows more than most adults and teenagers her age about complaining.  Complaining gets you know where in life.

Part 1: August

“I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an Xbox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess.”

 

August is a ten year old boy going into his first year of middle school. That’s a big step for every kid. However, it’s a little bit harder for August than most kids his age.  August is a boy who was born with many craniofacial abnormalities.  Part one of this book is giving us insight into Augusts’ mind and thoughts.  It’s him describing his life and how he feels everything. How everyone looks at him, how everyone feels towards him. It’s relatable to everyone at some point in our lives. We have all had our insecure stages. Going into middle school with braces, acne on my face, and at one point I even had a back brace for three months. I was also worried about what people were saying about me. I overheard girls at a basketball game talking about my back brace “why is where wearing that thing?”  “It makes her look weird.”  August struggles through this every day of his life. Even though he likes the same activities as other boys his age, and has the same thoughts as them, he’s seen as someone completely different.

“Here’s what I think:  the only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way”

Our facial features count for more than we’d like them too, unfortunately. Sometimes a girl wouldn’t talk to another because “you don’t have the newest shoes like me” or something along those lines. We have all looked into the mirror and not like what we see, wishing to change something about ourselves. This is the part I’m able to connect to the most. August has low self-esteem just I do at points in time. 

From the very first line of this story, I’m able to get inside August’s head. Sometimes I feel as though I am August. Part one of this book is connecting to him and putting our self in his shoes.