In Wonder, August demonstrates kindness, friendship, and character in a few different ways, but one particular instance is the most important for showing all three. During the story, August has two main friends—Summer and Jack. Summer is a loyal, kind, and devoted friend, and she never sways from her opinion of Auggie. She is always quick to defend him and doesn’t feel it is a kindness to treat Auggie like a person. Jack, on the other hand, is a very fairweather friend, at least at the beginning of the story. It is Jack’s betrayal and rudeness that allows Auggie's kindness, friendship, and character to shine through.
When the other kids pressure Jack, he fails to stand up for August and takes part in making fun of him. August shows his kindness, friendship, and character in the way he forgives Jack and lets go of the hurt so that they can still be friends. August is a hilarious kid, and he is a great friend, so allowing Jack back into his life is a very positive move on his part. Jack would be missing out if Auggie hadn’t forgiven him. In that instance of their repaired friendship, August shows moral character, kindness, and friendship in the way he forgives and moves on from the hurt that had been done to him by Jack.
“Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.” There are more than a few examples of how August demonstrates not only kindness, friendship, but also character; however, instead of just looking at specific instances in the story, it is important to look at August as the example of kindness, friendship, and character. From the very beginning, the reader understands August is different than children his age. For many children, being different in any way is hard, but for August he does not ever seem to use his differences to play the victim. It's almost as if August uses his uniqueness to help build his character and how he reacts to everything and everyone around him. When he meets new friends, he allows them to comment on his looks, he encourages them to ask questions; many people, adults included, would not handle these new experiences with such grace and humor.
Although ethically questionable, August shows kindness when he allows Jack Will to copy his notes in science class due to the difficulty that Jack experiences in the subject.
A great example of when August displays friendship is when he forgives Jack Will for the comment he makes to the "cool kids" on Halloween, saying that he is only friends with August because Mr. Tushman asked him to be and because all the teachers have asked him to sit next to August in their classes.
August shows immense character towards the end of this great novel, when he and his friends are bullied at overnight camp. In fact, his force of character is so strong that he winds up becoming friends with boys like Miles and Amos, who previously did not want to be associated with him.
In Wonder, August and some of his friends demonstrate kindness, friendship, and character on many occasions throughout the story. One such example where August exhibits these qualities is near his birthday. August wishes to invite all of the students in his homeroom class and Summer, with whom he forms a friendship at lunch on his first day of school, to his party. While this is a lot of kids to invite, August demonstrates kindness by being concerned about the feelings of others.
Another example showing qualities of kindness, friendship, and character takes place after the family loses Daisy, their dog. Daisy becomes sick, and August's parents take her to the vet where she is put to sleep. August realizes how upset his family members are over losing Daisy. That night, he puts himself to bed because his mother is comforting Via. August shows compassion because he realizes he receives a lot of attention. Tonight is Via's turn to receive some attention from his mom.
August faces many challenges because he looks different. As a new student to his school, August accepts that it may take time for his peers to adjust to his appearance. He becomes disappointed in Jack when he overhears Jack say some rather mean comments about him. However, after some time passes, August shows character by forgiving Jack. Jack and some of the other boys become protective over August. By showing positive qualities, August builds lasting friendships.
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