Auggie meets two boys when he goes to 5th grade in a public school. Julian, who thinks he is scary and like a monster, and Jack, who sticks up for him and helps Auggie survive 5th grade. Julian's view of Auggie is very negative while Jack’s view is more positive and friendly, and this helps the reader understand an important theme in the book.
When Auggie starts school, he meets Jack. Jack doesn’t become Auggie’s best friend right away. He is mostly there to help Auggie get through 5th grade. On page 141, it says “The thing is, there are always going to be kids like Julian who are jerks. But if a little kid like Jamie, who is usually a nice enough kid, can be mean, then a kid like August doesn’t stand a chance in middle school.” This shows that Jack doesn’t want Auggie to have a terrible time in middle school, but he doesn’t really want to be friends. However, as the two get to know each other, they become more like friends. This happens when they have to work on a science project together. There had been a problem between the two because Jack was making fun of Auggie with Julian and his friends. When Jack figured out that Auggie overheard, he instantly felt terrible and was really sorry. Jack apologised to Auggie for what he had done. He also punched Julian in the face when Julian was making fun of Auggie. Jack really thinks that Auggie is a genuine, good friend who would support him in times of trouble
On the other hand, Julian feels the exact opposite of how Jack feels. He thinks Auggie is scary and is a monster. A quote that proves this is, “I think he looks like an orc,” (77). This is why he bullies him. He also wants attention which is another contributing factor for why he bullies Auggie. He even turned the whole grade against Auggie and Jack. Quotes that supports this are, “Julian went around telling everyone that you punched him because you have emotional problems,” (171), and, “Anyway, Julian said that he thinks being friends with Auggie is bringing you down, and that for your own good you need to stop hanging out with him so much. And if you start losing your old friends it will be like a wakeup call,” (172). Julian’s feelings about Auggie never change while Jack’s do. Jack was helpful and a good friend to Auggie, but Julian is a bully.
The way Jack and Julian view Auggie helps us understand that you shouldn’t judge people by physical characteristics and you should be a friend to those who need one like Jack was to Auggie. R.J. Palacio taught us this theme by showing how Julian and Jack treat Auggie and react to Auggie. The tone Palacio takes toward Jack and Julian also helps us understand the theme. The authors tone towards Jack is very friendly, however, the tone the author takes toward Julian is negative. This shows that Palacio thinks that you should be kind to those who are different. Jacks intentions were very positive and friendly and he wanted Auggie to have a friend. Julian, however, thought Auggie was a freak. Knowing how these two react to Auggie teaches us that you should be kind to everyone, even if they are different.
The way Jack and Julian view Auggie helps us understand that you shouldn’t judge people by physical characteristics and you should be a friend to those who need one like Jack was to Auggie. R.J. Palacio taught us this theme by showing how Julian and Jack treat Auggie and react to Auggie. The tone Palacio takes toward Jack and Julian also helps us understand the theme. The authors tone towards Jack is very friendly, however, the tone the author takes toward Julian is negative. This shows that Palacio thinks that you should be kind to those who are different. Jacks intentions were very positive and friendly and he wanted Auggie to have a friend. Julian, however, thought Auggie was a freak. Knowing how these two react to Auggie teaches us that you should be kind to everyone, even if they are different.
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