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August: Names
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
Via tells the reader that August is the sun, while she, Mom, and Dad are just planets orbiting around him. Daisy the dog is the only being in the Pullman house who doesn't orbit August, and that's because she's a dog. Via says that she's used to it; she's always understood that August has special needs, and she shouldn't expect extra or special attention. She insists she never saw the use of complaining, especially since she's seen August in so much pain after surgery. She's used to taking care of herself and not asking Mom or Dad for help, and insists that this habit isn't noble—it's just the way things are. However, she senses that the galaxy is starting to shift.
For Via, early independence is inevitable, as she believes she's simply unable to rely on her parents like other kids do. However, Via seems to conceptualize care and kindness as something finite—essentially, because her parents devote so much attention to August, there's just not enough left for Via. This viewpoint is relatively immature and sets Via up for growth.
Themes
