How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Via doesn't see me as ordinary. She says she does, but if I were ordinary, she wouldn't feel like she needs to protect me as much. And Mom and Dad don't see me as ordinary, either. They see me as extraordinary. I think the only person in the world who realizes how ordinary I am is me. (1.Ordinary.4)
What does Auggie's family want to "protect him" from? And why do you think they don't recognize Auggie's ordinariness?
Quote #2
I like it when Mom tells this story because it makes me laugh so much. It's not funny in the way a joke is funny, but when Mom tells it, Via and I just start cracking up. (1.How I Came to Life.1)
When things are really heavy, laughter can lighten the load. It's not that the Pullmans bury their painful memories and moments—rather, the family makes a point of remembering their stories in ways that emphasizes the humor of a given situation.
Quote #3
"We can't keep protecting him," Mom whispered to Dad, who was driving. "We can't just pretend he's going to wake up tomorrow and this isn't going to be his reality, because it is, Nate and we have to help him learn to deal with it. We can't just keep avoiding situations that…" (1.Driving.3)
Auggie's parents are struggling with the prospect of sending him to school. They know it will be hard for Auggie to deal with kids' reactions, and hard for him to figure out how to fit in. But he has his whole life ahead of him, so the sooner he learns to win people over, the better.
Quote #4
"What's a lamb to the slaughter?" I said.
Mom sighed and gave Daddy a "look."
"I shouldn't have said that," Dad said, looking at me in the rear view mirror. "It's not true. Here's the thing: Mommy and I love you so much we want to protect you any way we can. It's just sometimes we want to do it in different ways." (1.Driving.34-36)
Do you agree that sending Auggie to school is like sending a lamb to the slaughter? Do you think middle school is the best time for a drastically different-looking kid to join the mainstream?
Quote #5
August is the Sun. Me and Mom and Dad are planets orbiting the Sun. The rest of our family and friends are asteroids and comets floating around the planets orbiting the Sun. (2.A Tour of the Galaxy.1)
Via seems to have accepted this ordering of her family universe on one level, but she also gives us lots of clues that she is beginning to resent it. What kinds of things give Via the impression that "the galaxy is changing?"
Quote #6
"I love Auggie very, very much," she said softly. […] "But he has many angels looking out for him already, Via. And I want you to know that you have me looking out for you. […] I want you to know that you are number one for me. […] You are my everything."
I understood her. And I knew why she said it was a secret. Grandmothers aren't supposed to have favorites. Everyone knows that. But after she died, I held on to that secret and let it cover me like a blanket. (2.Seeing August.13-14)
It's nobody's fault: Auggie's medical stuff has, by necessity, taken up nearly all the bandwidth of parental attention in the Pullman family. Via's grandmother totally sees this though, and she makes it her mission to give Via the extra-special, high-beam love she needs. Three cheers for Grans.
Quote #7
But she didn't come back that night. Dad did. He told me Auggie had had a bad first day and Mom was helping him through it. He asked me how my day had gone and I told him fine. He said he didn't believe me for a second, and I told him Miranda and Ella were acting like jerks. […]He said nothing tests friendships like high school, and then proceeded to poke fun at the fact that I was reading War and Peace. Not real fun, of course, since I'd heard him brag to people that he had a "fifteen-year-old who is reading Tolstoy." […] It was silly stuff, but Dad always managed to make everyone laugh. And sometimes that's all you need to feel better. (2.The Padawan Bites the Dust.11)
Via was hoping to talk to her mom—she especially asked her mom to come back—but because Auggie's needs always trump hers, her mom doesn't come back. But Via's dad is there for her. He knows Via well enough to know she is suffering, and gives her the opening to share her sadness. He validates her feelings, and then he makes her laugh.
Quote #8
Mom took his temperature, brought him some hot tea, and assumed the "August's mom" role again. "Via's mom," who had come out for a little while, was put away. I understood, though: August was in bad shape. (2.October 31.5)
Via and her mom weep together on the anniversary of Grans' passing, sharing their grief, supporting, and comforting each other. Via hopes to share all her school troubles with her mom—but she doesn't get the chance, because once again her needs are eclipsed by Auggie's.
Quote #9
She's a happy dog, like she knows she lucked out that day finding this family.
I kind of know how she feels. I like olivia's family. they laugh a lot. […]
olivia's family tell each other "i love you" all the time.
i can't remember the last time anyone in my family said that to me. (5.Valentine's Day.16, 17, 19, 20)
Via's boyfriend Justin wistfully admires the emotional culture of the Pullman family. They have made warmth and kindness habitual, and people outside the family often notice how good it feels to be around them. Justin feels so safe with them that by the end of the evening, his tics have gone away.
Quote #10
One of the things I miss most about Via's friendship is her family. I loved her mom and dad. They were always so welcoming and nice to me. I knew they loved their kids more than anything. I always felt safe around them: safer than anywhere else in the world. (7.What I Miss Most.1)
Auggie and Via's parents have created a family culture of caring, kindness, and love that extends to everyone in their circle. Kindness is a huge theme in Wonder, and the author really wants to show how much it matters on every level of human interaction. When families forget about kindness and love, people suffer.