R. J. Palacio's novel entitled Wonder is the story of a boy who was born with craniofacial abnormalities. He has undergone many surgeries to try to improve his facial structures and bears the scars of those surgeries. His condition brings out the best and worst in people, and the story takes place when August (nicknamed Auggie) is transitioning from homeschool to a public school.
The novel is divided into sections, and there are 123. Each chapter is very short and easy to read. In chapter 73, which is entitled "The Boyfriend," Jack narrates the experience of meeting Olivia's boyfriend for the first time. She has been dating Justin, and after two months, she has decided to introduce Justin to her brother. A major difference in the two accounts of this experience (chapter 73 is told by Jack and chapter 74 is told from Justin's perspective) is...
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that Jack's chapter focuses on Justin, with only a brief mention of Auggie's differences. Jack says,
He seemed a little nervous. I guess maybe it was because he was meeting August for the first time. Sometimes I forget what a shock it is the first time you meet him.
This shows that Jack and Auggie's relationship has progressed beyond Auggie's physical appearances and that Jack accepts Auggie for who he is inside as well as outside. Jack and Auggie even enjoy a laugh at Justin's expense. He tells them that he plays fiddle in a zydeco band. He explains that zydeco is Creole music, and when Auggie asks him if he's from Louisiana, he responds that he is from Brooklyn. Jack and Auggie find this really humorous.
In contrast, chapter 74, told from Justin's point of view, focuses on the experience of seeing Auggie for the first time. He admits to being shocked at Auggie's appearance to readers, though he denies it to Via, which creates dramatic irony. He focuses intently on what a shock it was to see him and that even though he'd been warned, seeing Auggie was much more of a shock than he'd thought. He thought it would be like kids who'd had a cleft palate but had had it repaired so it was hardly noticeable. He goes on to describe how he was attracted to Via's beauty—olive skin and beautiful blue eyes—which tells us that he is very focused on external beauty and appearance. Via explains to him that she's had people end friendships with her after seeing her brother, so she wants to make sure he's okay with Auggie's appearance. He lies and says that he thought Via believed him, or at least that she wanted to believe him.