Since a person's face is pretty much their primary, uh, interface with the world, appearances are inevitably going to be a big theme in Wonder, a story about a kid with a cranio-facial genetic mutation.
Most of us are not often confronted with a person whose appearance is dramatically different, and it can be a startling experience, as we see from most people's reactions to Auggie's face. We're right there with Auggie as he describes the surprise, shock, horror, fear, and disgust he sees.
The web site for the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction says, "No condition impacts the body and the spirit as equally as facial difference," and August gives readers a glimpse into this experience. He hates his appearance, and desperately wishes he were normal. He hides. He mumbles. He suffers. But he hangs tough, and along the way he learns to hold his head up and be seen for who he is. He learns that he has to accept the way he looks, and that others can too.
Questions About Appearances
- Does Auggie's attitude toward his appearance change throughout the story?
- As you read Wonder, do your definitions of ugly versus beautiful change at all?
- How about that astronaut helmet? Why does Auggie wear it everywhere?
Chew on This
Don't judge a book—or a boy—by its cover.
Though appearances are superficial, because the impact our lives so significantly, they end up also impacting our personalities.