Wonder By R J Palacio Essay

Whether kidnapping dalmatian puppies to make into a coat or just mocking a shy girl’s homemade dress in study hall, villains make stories compelling. We love and need the bad guys, perhaps just for their representation of the secret bad guys in ourselves. But there are rules. One of two things must eventually happen to the antagonist for the reader to feel closure: he has to learn, to realize the error of his ways and repent, or he has to pay, to get what he has got coming to him. But what if neither of these happen? The novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio follows a young boy, August Pullman, with facial deformities as he goes through his first year of school. Because of his physical differences, he faces many challenges in this year. Many of these challenges stem from Palacio’s version of the villain, Julian Albans. At first glance, Julian may be seen as mean, offensive, obnoxious, and spoiled. When analyzed closer with more attention to detail, however, it becomes clear that Julian is still mean, offensive, obnoxious, and spoiled. As a static character who experiences no arc, Julian also receives no real punishment
The few times where the author gives the reader glimpses into Julian’s home-life or backstory, the opinions of his parents demonstrate where Julian gets his attitude. Jack tells his mom that Julian’s mom actually photoshopped August’s face out of the class picture and gave out copies (158). This action mirrors the disgust for August Julian expresses. Some of the other kids’ parents who are more accepting provide a sharp contrast to Julian’s mom. For example, Charlotte says “Just so you know, my mom thinks Julian’s mom is a total idiot. She said she thinks people like her are more concerned about what their kids’ class pictures look like than doing the right thing” (172). In the end, his ignorant parents could not accept the changes happening in the school and decide to transfer Julian out