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I think that Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" means...

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Journal Entry 6 (October 23, 2016; Pages 235-End)

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Journal Entry 6 (October 23, 2016; Pages 235-End)

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Teen drama reaches its climax and begins to fall as fractured character relationships heal and August takes center stage as the one who overcame adversity. Readers get a glimpse into Miranda's mind, which gives them a chance to understand this character who had previously been a conversational topic of contention within the Pullman family, namely for Via. Miranda expresses that she essentially views August as a brother, and perhaps she sacrifices her role in the play (giving it to Via) in order to appease misunderstandings toward August's sister, not necessarily toward her good friend Via.

Therefore, August fully takes on his strongest role, the boy who unifies. During the school camping trip, August finds himself facing bullies from other schools, and his friends unify around August to protect him (p. 265-67). Mr. Browne's final precept, then, reflects the arch of the characters' movement toward the center, August. "JUST FOLLOW THE DAY AND REACH FOR THE SUN!" (p. 288) captures how characters such as Via, Jack, Miranda, and Justin, among others, find strength and purpose in following a trajectory that seems mundane, day-to-day living with its struggle but ultimately satisfying.

Predictably, August wins an award for his unifying efforts, and the feel-good story comes to a nice, neat close (p. 302-3). August's mom reaffirms August's strength, calling her son "a wonder," (p. 310) like an exemplary mom should. However, a kid who fights through his quite visible abnormalities to grow so much socially and emotionally, positively affecting others along the way, deserves all those kudos.

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Justin philosophizes about Auggies life, the idea that "the universe was not kind to auggie pullman," though August does experience kind acts that helps cement his belonging among his peers. August receives a special hearing aid device that enhances his hearing to a normal level. His getting the hearing aid gives August a boost toward normalcy, but it still comes with a price; he thinks the hearing aid looks ridiculous, a viewpoint that highlights August's struggle to reach feeling accepted due to perceived negative variables that outweigh the good in August's mind. Thus, August sometimes cannot initially recognize human acts of kindness, looking past the "bad" that might accompany positive deeds.

When the classic adolescent literature trope, the story's dog dying, occurs, August starts undergoing another significant shift from selfishness to selflessness. When August anticipated a family member coming in to check on him after a family argument that included August, August snaps at Via, "I'm not apologizing." Via retorts, "This isn't about you!" (p. 220). This moment and the succeeding Daisy death scene exemplifies August and other characters embracing a perspective that does not center around the self as ultimately important, so Daisy succeeds as a martyr for human character development.

Readers may interpret Miranda's decision to pull away from her role in the play as selfless as well, giving Via the opportunity to shine. The story begins to tie up its broken relationships, though no promise of friendly bliss happens. Nevertheless, the final parts in Wonder ought to focus on how characters have decided to put others first and to "choose kind."

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Jack Will and Justin each get their own narratives, allowing readers to view perspectives from people who have not known August for life. Readers who do not have a family member suffering from a noticeable physical deformity can likely sympathize the most with Jack and Justin. Unlike August's family, Jack had to acclimate to interacting face to face with August. Jack reflects, "You do get used to his face. The first couple of times I was like, whoa, I'm never going to get used to this. And then, after about a week, I was like, huh, it's not so bad" (p. 142). Similarly, Justin admits, "the first time i meet Olivia's little brother...i'm totally taken by surprise" (p. 187). Jack Will and Justin's perspectives toward August resonate, but the latter expresses his viewpoint with greater maturity. August as a figure who helps others mature shines through in this section.

Even Jack's pummeling Julian displays the former's maturation, though the act retains Jack's immaturity. Jack does resorts to a reactionary impulse to confront an issue, Julian calling August a "freak" (p. 154), but Jack taking up for and eventually apologizing to August highlights Jack's attitude change. He no longer feels any pressure to please the popular kids such as Julian; instead, he begins to value his true friendship with August.

While Justin does not have a close friendship with August, he gets great personal, metacognitive benefits from knowing August. Justin carries himself coolly and non-judgmentally, but his becoming acquainted with August poses a challenge to his persona. When Olivia asks Justin "are you shocked?" when Justin sees August, Justin lies, saying "no" (p. 188). Justin has no choice but to begin thinking about how he views others different from himself, which signals an upcoming growth for him, and Jack Will has already grown exponentially because he knows August.

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Journal Entry 3 (September 24, 2016; Pages 91-138)

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Journal Entry 3 (September 24, 2016; Pages 91-138)

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The third section of our reading selection helps the reader to understand how friends and family deal with a loved one who suffers from a life-altering abnormality, giving us insight into the pain and struggles that August's family feels alongside August. For Olivia, her friendships undergo odd estrangements, and the occurrence seems linked to her brother August, especially since Miranda still keeps contact with August, not Olivia (p. 116). In families wherein a member has a glaring "difference" and unique needs, the other members can feel as though the "different" family member has a profound impact one everyone's life. Olivia cannot escape the feeling of stigmatization for being August's sister.

Similarly, Summer obtains a negative stigma because she maintains a friendship with August. She supposedly "hangs out with the freak too much" (p. 119). Even Summer's mother has difficulty accepting August on first sight as well. However, when others give August a chance to express his unique personality, those others usually accept him and in turn those who associate with him.

Thus, knowing August on a deeper level helps a person grow inwardly. August's sister will have to learn that her life does not revolve around her brother; Summer might come to understand that her perseverance in remaining August's friends will give her a positive reputation; and those who hardly know August will want to know him more. While pain accompanies the family who have a loved one with an abnormality, a great sense of personal growth and gratitude can make its way into the picture as well. Palacio's work has no character development shortage.

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Journal Entry 2 (September 17, 2016; Pages 45-90)

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Journal Entry 2 (September 17, 2016; Pages 45-90)

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This section showcases the tumultuous adolescent social life that contains high highs and low lows, both fueled by the teenager's natural, mental myopia. Mr. Browne's September precept gives the formula for reaching those relational high points (p. 48), but August discovers that even his supposed best friends sometimes do not choose to show him kindness. Jack Will's inability to foresee how his words can negatively impact other people causes him to speak without filter. When August hears Jack Will gossip potently against him, August feels as though his friendship has died, just as the mummy persona that Jack Will played on Halloween (p. 76-7).

These monster images capture the monstrosity of Jack Will's actions, but they additionally have a sad connection to August's experience as a child who has a facial deformity. Names that August has endured include "Monster. Freddy Krueger. E.T. Gross-out" (p. 79). August's hearing these insults cause him to grow up rather fast, and his shedding the Boba Fett costume signals an acquiescence rite of passage into adulthood, one that gives August little reason to feel celebratory (p. 75).

Via desires that her brother grow in understanding that he lives a different experience compared to others, which demonstrates Via's shortsightedness. She reminisces on the family's efforts to shield August and to make him feel normal, but Via thinks that August needs to accept the fact that he can have a happy life while accepting himself as a bit abnormal. Clearly, Via cannot see inside August's inner-self and know his emotional and psychological growth patterns. Yet she comments, "We've spent so much time trying to make August think he's normal that he actually thinks he is normal. And the problem is, he's not" (p. 90). August continues to undergo a transformation (coming to understand that he is different and normally imperfect as everyone else) with all the life experience he gets, but others around him cannot see it. This misunderstanding has the potential to cause much tension in the coming pages.

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The chapter entitled "Ordinary" captures an essential theme within the book, the human desire to fit in, which paradoxically wants to coexist with the human desire to feel unique. Ironically, August does not have to exert any effort to feel the latter, but he covets the former because he has endured life as a spectacle before the "normal" people. Yet August reflects, "I think the only person in the world who realizes how ordinary I am is me" (3). This complaint signals August's resentment toward his uniqueness, for his distinguishable physical attributes identify him as special but stigmatized.

August's trip to Beecher Prep finds him beginning his fight to overcome the struggle against his stigmatized identity as "deformed," an attribute that he perhaps subconsciously embraces. After all, his sister Via has to remind August that he does not experience the first-day jitters alone as a "different" kid. "Everyone's just as nervous as you are. Just remember that this is everyone's first day of school. Okay?" Via proclaims (36). The reader can view Via as the sister who attempts to empathize with her brother's problems but does not allow her brother to use those issues as crutches for not pursuing life fully. She recognizes her brother's propensity to grow and to impact positively other people. Thus, this first section of Wonder introduces August as an extraordinarily ordinary figure who has the potential to embody extraordinary character. The title seems to predict as much.