How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go. (1.Ordinary.1)
Auggie chases that word "ordinary" around and around in his head, struggling to reconcile the disparity between how he feels and how he looks. He wants to be normal so badly that he rejects the idea that he is extraordinary. Over the course of the school year though, Auggie learns how he is actually both ordinary and extraordinary.
Quote #2
Mom says by then they had told her all about me. She had been preparing herself for the seeing of me. But she says that when she looked down into my tiny mushed-up face for the first time, all she could see was how pretty my eyes were. (1.How I Came to Life.6)
Moms are awesome. That's all.
Quote #3
"Why is your hair so long?" Julian said to me. He sounded like he was annoyed.
I didn't know what to say, so I just shrugged.
"Can I ask you a question?" he said.
I shrugged again. Didn't he just ask me a question?
"What's the deal with your face? I mean, were you in a fire or something?" (1.The Performance Space.26-30)
Julian reminds us over and over again that plenty of people in this world use appearances as a tool to really hurt people. And just so you know, it's rude to ask someone about why the look the way they do without them indicating first that it's something they want to talk about.
Quote #4
In the hallways, which were always crowded, my face would always surprise some unsuspecting kid who maybe hadn't heard about me. The kid would make the sound you make when you hold your breath before going underwater, a little "uh!" sound. (1.Wake Me Up When September Ends.3)
Auggie wants to think that he has gotten used to this kind of reaction, but it seems to us that it still hurts him enough that he continues to wish he looked normal. Poor kid just doesn't get a break when it comes to his appearances.
Quote #5
"Are you always going to look this way, August? I mean, can't you get plastic surgery or something?"
I smiled and pointed to my face. "Hello?" This is after plastic surgery.
Jack clapped his hand over his forehead and started laughing hysterically.
"Dude, you should sue your doctor!" he answered between giggles. (1.Jack Will.14-17)
Jack has begun to grasp the permanence of August's plight and how hurtful people's reactions to his face must be. But more importantly, Jack's ability to laugh about the whole situation shows how comfortable he is with Auggie.
Quote #6
Unfortunately, while I managed to avoid having the portrait taken, I couldn't get out of being part of the class picture. Ugh. The photographer looked like he'd just sucked on a lemon when he saw me. I'm sure he thought I ruined the picture. I was one of the ones in the front, sitting down. I didn't smile, not that anyone could tell if I had. (1.School Picture.2)
To make matters worse, Julian's mom proceeds to Photoshop Auggie out of the picture and then distribute her "cleaned-up" versions to other parents. It makes our blood boil.
On the flip side though, just to play devil's advocate for a second, do you think the photographer really thinks that August ruins the picture? He might have been thinking about the speeding ticket he got on the way to work, for all Auggie knows. Is it possible that Auggie imagines the worst?
Quote #7
"If I looked like that," said the Julian voice, kind of laughing, "I swear to God, I'd put a hood over my face every day."
"I've thought about this a lot," said the second mummy, sounding serious, "and I really think…if I looked like him, seriously, I think that I'd kill myself." (1.The Bleeding Scream.8-9)
Julian has worn the Darth Sidious mask on Halloween probably in hopes of upsetting Auggie—and before Auggie is even on the scene, Julian uses the mask to initiate an Auggie-bashing session. While it's understandable that kids in Auggie's class try to imagine how they'd cope with having a face like Auggie, they've just likened him to Darth Sidious, a shrunken head, and an orc.
Quote #8
His eyes are about an inch below where they should be on his face, almost to halfway down his cheeks. They slant downward at an extreme angle, almost like. […] His head is pinched in on the sides where the ears should be, like someone used giant pliers and crushed the middle part of his face. He doesn't have cheekbones. There are deep creases running down both sides of his nose to his mouth, which gives him a waxy appearance. Sometimes people assume he's been burned in a fire: his features look like they've been melted, like the drippings on the side of a candle. (2.August Through the Peephole.1)
Do you or someone you know have a facial difference? Has reading Wonder made you better prepared to navigate these sorts of variations in appearances? That's really all this is, after all—a variation in appearance.
Quote #9
"I bet you they put a picture of their dog on the card every year," I said.
She took the card from my hands and looked at the picture carefully. Then she raised her eyebrows and her shoulders and gave me back the card. "We're very lucky, Jack. There's so much we take for granted…"
"I know," I said. I knew what she was talking about without her having to say it. (4.Season's Greetings.4-6)
Just go there with Jack's mom for a minute, and think about all the things most people generally take for granted. Are you grateful every day for your face? Probably not. And let's not stop there—for most of us, our lives are filled with things we take for granted, like walking, talking, seeing, hearing, and much more. Now try to imagine how your life might be different without any one of these gifts.
Quote #10
i guess i thought her brother would have some scars here and there. but not this. i definitely wasn't expecting to see this little kid in a baseball cap who's sitting in front of me right now. […] i like to think i'm able to hide my surprise. i hope i do. surprise is one of those emotions that can be hard to fake, though, whether you're trying to look surprised when you're not or trying to not look surprised when you are. i shake his hand. i shake the other kid's hand. don't want to focus on his face. cool room, I say. (5.Olivia's Brother.2-5)
When Justin meets August, he is one of the few characters with the self-awareness and self-possession to be mindful about how he reacts to his appearance. Not only is Justin sensitive about how his reaction impacts both August and Via, but he is also mature enough to make an intentional choice to look beyond Auggie's face, focusing instead on Auggie's cool room.
Quote #11
"Come on, Auggie, please try to understand," he continued, putting his hand under my chin and tilting my face toward him. "You were wearing that helmet all the time. And the real, real, real, real truth is: I missed seeing your face, Auggie. I know you don't always love it, but you have to understand…I love it. I love this face of yours, Auggie, completely and passionately. And it kind of broke my heart that you were always covering it up." (8.The Drop-Off.33)
There's regular old "I love you," which Auggie's family says plenty. But to hear "I love your face," and to hear it said with such absolute wholeheartedness is a hugely meaningful message. Auggie has struggled his entire life with his appearance, which creates so many challenges for him, and for much of the story Auggie wishes away his terrible face. His dad's all-in acceptance and love helps Auggie finally begin to accept his face too.