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August: Costumes
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Wonder, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Difficulty of Kindness
Independence and Growing Up
Status and Bullying
Identity
Parenting and Guidance
Summary
Analysis
August feels awesome walking down the hallway at school. Another kid dressed as the Bleeding Scream gives him a high five when they pass, and August wonders if the kid would've done that had he known that it was August behind the mask. When August gets to homeroom, he recognizes Julian dressed as Darth Sidious, whose mask is very realistic. Julian is deep in conversation with two mummies that August figures are Miles and Henry. They're all looking like they're waiting for August to arrive as Boba Fett.
Again, Julian's choice to go as Darth Sidious is clearly a jab at August given that both boys are aware of the baggage surrounding Star Wars and the character (Darth Sidious’ face burns and melts in one of the movies). Once again, the reference to Darth Sidious appears to go right over the heads of the teachers. This illustrates how bullying and intimidation can be very underhanded and difficult for adults to pinpoint.
Themes
August decides to sit where he can hear them rather than at his regular desk. Julian motions to the parts of his mask that look like "him"—presumably August—and the mummies suggest that August looks like an orc or a shrunken head. One mummy with Jack's voice says seriously that he'd kill himself if he looked like August, and Julian asks why he even hangs out with August. Jack explains that Mr. Tushman asked him to, and now August just follows him everywhere. August doesn't hear anything else because he walks out of class and begins crying inside his mask.
As horrible as Julian and Jack's conversation is, none of the boys realize that it's taking place in front of August. This reinforces the fact that Julian is rude and awful, but it also begs the question of why Jack is engaging in this conversation in the first place, since his affection for August seems genuine otherwise. This suggests that he may be trying to impress Julian when he thinks August is not around.
Themes
