There are various shades of courage in Wonder:
- The courage to attempt something terrifying.
- The courage of taking a risk and going against the grain
- The courage of persevering, even when doing so is excruciating.
Terrifying: August going to middle school.
Risky: Having lunch with a kid who looks like August even though your friends don't want you to.
Persevering: Going to school day in and day out even though almost no one talks to you, or is even allowed to accidentally bump into you without catching the plague.
Terrifying: seeing your infant for the first time who has been born with such serious birth defects that he is not even expected to survive.
Risky: Agreeing to befriend the new kid at school before you've met him.
Persevering: Going back to school after the person you think is your best friend claims you're just a pesky tag-along.
Yup—courage abounds in this book.
Questions About Courage
- Who is the most courageous character in Wonder, in your opinion, and why?
- How is Auggie's courage different from Summer's?
- In what ways does Jack's courage evolve throughout the story?
Chew on This
Some situations call for very public acts of courage, while others require people to reach deep into their hearts to draw upon the courage of their character. In Wonder, both appear.
Jack thinks he's terrifically brave to become friends with Auggie, but he's too scared to commit this nugget to paper. Auggie, on the other hand, never describes anything he does as particularly courageous, and yet it must take bucket-loads of courage for him to face the world every single day.