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August: The Performance Space
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
When August, Jack, Julian, and Charlotte get back to the office, Mrs. G asks if August liked the school. Mom asks August if he saw baby chicks in the science lab, and August wishes Mom wouldn't talk to him like he's a baby in front of people. He asks Mom if they need to pick up Via, which is the signal that he's ready to leave. Mom pretends to check her watch and explains to Mr. Tushman that Via is going to Faulkner High School this fall. Mom and August leave quickly, and August doesn't look up until they're outside the school.
August's wish that Mom wouldn't talk to him like a baby shows again that he's torn between being a child and adult—earlier, August sat on his mother’s lap like a child and longed to stay home with her, but now he feels “babyish” when she coddles him. This particular turn suggests that August may be feeling braver and more capable after standing up for himself to Julian.
Themes
