"Wonder"

While babysitting last Saturday night, I had the privilege to watch the movie “Wonder”, directed by Stephen Chbosky. Now, I have owned this book for many years, however, I have not had the chance to read it. That being said, I am not a huge reader but I do sometimes enjoy reading for pleasure. I have heard many striking comments regarding this movie so when the children I was babysitting picked out this film to watch, I was exhilarated.

From the moment the movie began I was immediately drawn in. Feeling as if the sense of reality had suddenly stopped and I was now in a whole different world. Now, I know how this sounds. It’s just a movie– not even a fantasy–but it was different. It wasn’t the kind of movie that kept leaving you wanting more, but dragged you in from the relatable, yet heart-wrenching story of a young boy named Auggie who has been struggling for the entirety of his life.

I’m not going to give any spoilers here but Auggie was living with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects the formation of the face, specifically the cheekbones and eye sockets. This caused him to look abnormal– I hate to describe it in this fashion, however, there are not many other ways to describe it.

This movie takes us through Auggie’s first time not being homeschooled. I’m sure you can guess how his first experience at public school starts out, especially with him having Treacher Collins.

I’m not writing this to give a summary of the film but rather to expose the deeper meaning that this film illustrates. Auggie was severely bullied because he looked different. If you were to touch him, it would be considered getting “the plague”. If he asked to sit with you, everyone would laugh and ignore. He felt alone, trapped in this new environment with no choice but to deal with it. He would go home from school crying since he felt like “the freak” that people considered him to be. And finally, he wore an astronaut helmet so no one could see his face. These kids were making Auggie feel ashamed.

It was unbelievably hard to watch this occur. To see kids at school telling him to die in order to make the world better. Can you imagine hearing this from your peers when you are in MIDDLE SCHOOL?! It was disgusting. It made me angry. The type of angry where you want to jump into the movie and scream at these kids. Obviously that’s not possible but you get what I’m trying to say.

It wasn’t until a girl Summer and a boy Jack befriended him because they saw him for who he truly was–a middle school boy who was interested in Star Wars and video games. They saw past his facial deformities and went against the status quo to support someone they truly appreciated as both a peer and a friend.

If I was placed in this situation, I can honestly say I am unaware of how I would handle it. I would not know how to approach it, but I know that I would want to do it in a similar way as Summer and Jack did. They made him feel wanted and included–like he actually mattered. It was so uplifting seeing the tears on Auggie’s face turn to smiles from ear to ear. It is crazy how just one act of kindness like sitting with someone in the cafeteria can make someone’s entire day or even week. Thanks to Jack and Summer, and eventually other peers, Auggie finally felt like a normal kid. Although this doesn’t make him forget about his facial deformities, it makes him feel like they don’t even matter anymore which was the most amazing feeling as a viewer.

I think we need to give Summer and Jack some praise. Being in middle school, it is easy to follow the crowd and stick with your same friends. If more people would follow this lead, there would be a massive decrease in bullying within schools. It needs to be taught that there is more to people than their looks or even clothes. It is what is beneath that that matters most.

One quote that really stuck out to me was:

“The only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.”–R.J. Palacio.

This exemplifies that we need to change society’s way of viewing (and then judging) people. If we were to just change the way that we looked at people there would be so much more love in this world. I am going to emphasize again that it is not looks that should make someone decide whether or not to be your friend, or even just to be kind.

Another quote that stood out to me was:

“WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND.”–R.J. Palacio

I think this quote speaks for itself.

All things considered, I think there is one more person that needs sycophancy. This person is obviously Auggie. Although this movie was based on a fictional story, Auggie’s character showed so much strength and courage but also optimism. Of course the degrading words from his classmates would cause him to feel grim, but he did not let this stop him. Like all people he thought about giving up. But he didn’t. He did not let these bullies get the best of him, he knew better. He was not going to let them “win”. He knew the outcome that he had visioned and did not let it get out of his sight. There were a few slips, but that is normal. After all, he’s human.

Finally, I think it is important for people of all ages to take after Auggie. He was so poised for everything he was encountering. He kept a positive outlook on life which is so important for people to do these days. Remaining optimistic can ultimately get you out of a hard time or situation. And this was exactly what he did.

Thank you, Auggie for teaching me the true importance of loving yourself and not changing who you are (even though in his case impossible) for other people.

Xoxo,

Danielle