#AlQaReading WONDER. PART 2. VIA. Comprehension Questions

 PART 2. VIA

Analysis

The first section of the novel placed readers inside the mind of a child with a facial deformity, narrating what it is like to live through the experiences that Auggie must face each day. Now, subsequent sections will place readers outside of Auggie's mind, portraying him from the standpoints of the people around him. Through Via, readers get to view Auggie's world from the point of view of someone who has shared his life, knows him well, and loves him despite his deformity.

However, Via is someone whose own life has been profoundly affected by Auggie's condition; it is clear right away that she often feels neglected and overshadowed. Via is in an extremely difficult position, wanting to be treated as a more important part of her family but also feeling guilty about her desire for attention, since Auggie has gone through worse struggles than she has.

Although the departed Grans never makes a direct appearance in the story, readers learn a lot about her through the way Via describes her. Grans was like Via's personal guardian angel even before she died, reminding Via that she is important, too, and that she has someone looking out for her even while everyone else is looking out for Auggie. Losing Grans means that Via loses this essential source of validation, and this significant loss contributes to the insecurity Via feels as she begins high school.

In one of the earlier chapters in this section, Via insists that it is the Pullmans' job to make sure that Auggie grows up enough to face the real world; they cannot continue to baby him, she says. Via's statements establish Wonder as a coming-of-age novel, or a bildungsroman, to use the genre name. Sending Auggie to a real school is a major step in helping him to grow up and mature, and readers can expect Auggie to change dramatically over the course of the narrative.

Meanwhile, Via herself is undergoing major changes of her own. The beginning of high school is always a time of turmoil: beyond her abiding concerns about Auggie, Via must juggle the difficulties of starting at a new school and of moving beyond her old friends. Losing Miranda and Ella means that Via no longer has the strong support that could make the beginning of high school relatively easy. She must rely on herself instead. Just like Auggie, Via will grow and change over the course of the novel, coming of age just like her younger brother.

Via's section serves another important purpose in the novel: it fills in information that Auggie's opening section did not provide. Readers get a detailed description of how Auggie's face looks, an issue that was skirted in the first section. Readers also learn about the Pullmans' family background, as Palacio offers a new perspective on Auggie and Via's upbringing. All of these details that Via provides paint a fuller picture of the world that Auggie lives in and the experiences he has had.

Via and Auggie have an important relationship that will be central to the novel as it continues. As his sister and as someone fairly close to him in age, Via is the only person who can give Auggie the kind of advice and perspective that adults cannot provide. Via knows what it is like to deal with cruel classmates and vicious rumors, although the treatment Auggie can expect seems much harsher. She is able to convince Auggie to go trick-or-treating and to go back to school after he overhears malicious remarks: when dealing with school situations, Auggie clearly values her judgment.

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