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Justin: The Bus Stop
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
As opening night gets closer, Justin spends more and more time rehearsing. He's thrilled when Via suggests he have his fiddle onstage, as he can play a bit when he forgets his lines. He's also happy to discover that Miranda isn't as stuck up as he thought she'd be, given that she's one of the popular girls. One day while Justin and Miranda wait backstage, she asks him about Via and if he's met August. Justin is surprised that Miranda knows about August, but pretends he already knew when she explains that she and Via were good friends and she's known August since he was a baby. Miranda pulls out her wallet and shows Justin pictures of August wearing a space helmet, which she gave him. Miranda asks Justin if he's "okay with it," and when he feigns ignorance, she says simply that the universe wasn't kind to August.
Justin's assessment of Miranda's social standing shows how successful Miranda's new look is in marking her as popular (and therefore, someone who wouldn't know Via). Miranda does much the same thing to Justin here as Via did after he met August for the first time by testing him to make sure he's actually planning on being kind, showing that August's support network is far-reaching. As Grans said, August has many "angels" looking out for him. This also has the effect of showing the reader that Miranda's inner life might not align with Via’s perception of her.
Themes
