Wonder By R J Palacio Character Analysis Essay

Wonder, by R.J Palacio, is a heartwarming story of August, a kid with facial deformities, and how he copes with life and the challenges he faces in his new school. Even though the whole premise of the book infers how no matter what, you should be proud of who you are, masks are definitely a recurring object in the book. In the book Wonder, masks are a very important aspect in the story because they display difference, how people hide their true self, and why people are meant to break free of discrimination.

First off, masks are important because they hide people’s, in this case August’s, true self. No matter how funny a mask can be, they are always used for only one true reason; to hide your face or true form. The book depicts many examples,

As mentioned earlier, masks are used to conceal one’s true form and by doing this, people cannot see who your true form is. In the book, one of the characters named Jack actually does this during halloween when August wears a different costume than the one he previously stated that he would use because of his late arrival to school. Jack, holding a conversation with Julian, even exclaims how, “If I ever had a face like that, I’d want to kill myself!” and, “I can’t imagine looking in the mirror and seeing myself like that. It would be too awful. And getting stared at all the time” (Palacio 77). In addition, August recites how, “One kid, wearing the same exact mask as me, high-fived me as we passed each other on the stairs”(Palacio 76). Although the kid that high-fived August because of his costume, he does not realize that it is truly August in the costume. In addition, if Jack realized that August was wearing his bleeding scream costume rather than his Boba Fett costume, Jack would not have perhaps said the hurtful words, but would perhaps think the same. In summary, Jack wouldn’t blatantly present his feelings of August, unless August is not at