Point of View

There are 6 different points of view in Wonder - each view shows you more of peoples thoughts and moods as the book progresses. The shift in the point of view really helps us look into many people’s opinions on different situations.

In the book, the problem that Via doesn’t want to be only known as the weird deformed kid’s big sister increases. “I’m always going to be the sister of a kid with a birth defect: that’s not the issue. I just don’t always want to be defined that way.” 

Later in the story, we find that Via in going to be in a school play, but doesn’t want to tell her parents about it. Through her chapter the reader learns that she didn’t want to tell them because she didn’t want to be defined as Auggie’s sister, but to be known for herself. On page 203, she confesses, “It’s been so nice, Justin. But if he comes to the play, then everyone will talk about it, everyone will know… I don’t know why I’m feeling this… I swear I’ve never been embarrassed of him before.” 

But since we also have August’s point of view, we get to see that Via’s secret really hurt him. As this problem increases, Via finally gives in and realises, after Daisy dies, that she truly loves August and doesn’t care how others choose to define her. So as you can see, because the readers hears both their opinions, both sides of the story could be understood.

Comparing Jack and August’s relationship through each of their chapters leads the reader to a greater understanding of each character’s actions. For example, in August's chapter, Jack turns on him and says cruel things about him behind his back “Tushman asked me to hang out with him at the beginning of the year, and he must have told all the teachers to put us next to each other in all our classes, or something.” (Page 77). 

On the other hand, because we also have Jack’s point of view in the story in his chapter, we realise why he said all those mean things. “I’d been talking to Julian about August. Oh man. Now I understand! I was so mean. I don’t even know why. I’m not even sure what I said, but it was bad. It was only a minute or two. It’s just I knew Julian and everybody thought I was so weird for hanging out with August all the time, I felt stupid.” p152. 

Because we have all these changes in the narrating we realise just how diverse each person is and we how each person’s personality affects the plot. Nothing is centred on one person, everyone has problems, and a shift in point of view causes the reader to realise the things each character is going through.