“WONDER”

MOVIE CASE STUDY

By Sem. Neo Nhats B. Billoned Philo 1-LAURELS

I. SYNOPSIS

a.) At first, the movie portrayed a happy and loving family or shall I say a perfect family. Auggie
Pullman was born with a rare medical facial deformity, mandibulofacial dysostosis and has
undergone 27 surgeries in order to see, smell, speak and hear. He lives with his mother (Isabel),
father (Nate), older sister (Olivia) and their dog (Daisy) in Brooklyn. Having said that he has a
facial deformity, Auggie was homeschooled by his mother up until that her mother decided that he
be enrolled to attend middle school at Beecher Prep. Before starting classes, Auggie meets
Principal Tushman who arranges a tour for him with three other students: Jack, Julian, and
Charlotte. When school starts, Auggie received judgemental stares and jests from his
classmates, leaving him to silently bear the tension. However, he soon forms a friendship with
Jack and finds support through his homeroom teacher.

Olivia, the older sister of Auggie, was having problem at school as well, she lost her best
friend and know no one. She somehow was jealous of his brother because of all the love,
affection and comfort from her parents was all directed to Auggie. Still, Via understands why and
tries to cope with her situation on her own. This situation of Via was somewhat noticed by Isabel
(their mother) and decided to spend a day with her ever understanding daughter.

Halloween came, Auggie’s favorite holiday, he was eager to go to school wearing his
Ghost Face costume for none will recognized him, criticize him and even stare at him with
disgusted faces. Upon entering homeroom, he sees Jack speaking to his classmates Julian and
his circle of friends. Unrecognized because of his costume, Auggie is dismayed to hear them
making fun of him behind his back. Among the backstab statements, the one that stings the most
is that his only friend in school, Jack, said that
“I would kill myself if I looked like him (Auggie)". Auggie becomes sick and his mother has to
leave a mother-daughter day with Via to pick him up. Though she is hurt, Via convinces Auggie to
go trick-or-treating.

Auggie finds a sympathetic soul in Summer and confides in her about Jack's betrayal.
Later on, when Jack asked Summer why was Auggie angry at him and was snubbing him,
Summer only said “Ghost Face”. Jack then wondered what that meant and came into a
conclusion that Auggie heard him when he said “I would kill myself if I looked like him (Auggie)".
Jack resolves to make it up to Auggie and agrees to be partnered with him for the Science Fair,
despite Julian's protests. When Julian confronts him in the hall and calls Auggie a freak, Jack hits
him in the face and they fight before teachers break them up. Jack was suspended for two days
and, though he refuses to give a reason for the fight in an apology letter to Principal Tushman,
the principal responds saying that he thinks he understands why, and encourages Jack to keep
being the good kid he knows he is. Jack then sends an apology to Auggie via Minecraft, telling
him he said what he did only to gain favor with Julian's friend group, and they reconcile.
 Throughout the year, Auggie’s popularity and circle of friends grow. Feeling insecurity,
Julian still bullies him. Julian bullies him by giving him letters and drawings that aims to make fun
of him and even photoshopped their class picture by erasing him out of it. The bully, Julian, then
was suspended when the picture photoshopped by him and on the back is written “do me a favor
and die” was caught by their homeroom teacher and was reported to Mr. Tushman.

A class trip was held, Auggie and jack was having a great time until an event of
confrontation happened when the two of them was wandering through the woods. A bunch of
Seventh Graders tried to bully them and things begun to heat between the two of them and the
seventh grader bullies. But, the tables were turned when the former circle of the friends of Julian,
or shall I say, former bullies helped the two of them. Escaped on what was about to be a heated
moment, Auggie becomes emotional at the kindness he's received, especially by former bullies.

Graduation day came and Auggie received a reward, the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for
his strength and courage throughout the school year. He thanks his mother for sending him to
school. Isabel, his mother, replied to him "You really are a wonder, Auggie.”

b.) When I am at Home, I sometimes feel like Auggie. Being the youngest in my family, my parents,
especially my mother, always has their attention towards me. Like Auggie I also have a not so
healthy body. When I was a kid, up until now I am always illed from time to time. Because of that,
all attention, understandings and comforts coming from my parents are always drawn unto me. I
felt like I was the favorite and act as a king towards my siblings, I sure was a jerk back then.

When I am at School, I think Jack and I are the same. Back in highschool, we had a classmate
who was not very normal, he was like a character in the movie “The Hobbit” Golum (my
preciousss). Everyone was bullying him, treating him like an outcast, I do not know what
happened, but after 2 years of seeing him suffer from the hands of bullies and in that 2 years,
sometimes I bully him as well if I’m in a bad mood (sorry). Going back after 2 years, I developed a
something even I couldn’t even imagine. I began befriending him and scolding those who bully
him and even give him advices on how to blend in in the seminary. Some even tease me by
calling me “papa” because of the way I treat my bullied classmate.
II. CONCLUSION

a.) Ture beauty comes from within. No matter how ugly or deformed the face is, that does not
necessarily mean that that person is also ugly in the inside. Don’t judge the book by its cover
because you haven’t yet know the full story. Lots of the characters that we meet in Wonder
immediately judge Auggie because of how his face looks; as a result, they’re often mean to him
or they just avoid him because they’ve already made up their minds about him. This is how a lot
of bullying starts in life; when someone doesn’t bother getting to know someone for who they are,
and instead, just makes a speedy, often incorrect judgment about them. It’s not very respectful
and it’s certainly not kind. We should never judge anyone in life without taking the time to get to
know who they are; before reading the whole story, so to speak.

b.) Words are both a candy and a knife. We are all responsible for the words we say and type,
especially when they are about other people because words have the potential to hurt; just as
much as a punch or a kick. Auggie was devastated when he overheard some of the boys at his
school calling him mean names on Halloween. Those boys might not have known that Auggie
could hear them, but their words were still powerful and hurtful – and they didn’t think about the
consequences of that. So, here’s the thing; show respect and be kind with your words and then it
won’t matter who hears or reads them. Why not make an effort to use your words to show respect
and kindness to someone this week – someone you perhaps don’t speak to very often – and
watch what happens.

c.) Be a humbled sun. The sun is the center of our solar system. All is drawn towards it because of
the pull of gravity. And because all planets are revolving around it, it gives the energy, heat, etc.
that makes it possible for us to live life. Be a humbled sun, draw people close to you, pull them
towards you, give them positive energy, and make them feel the heat of your love. But, that does
not mean that if you function as a sun towards the people around you, you are allowed to act as if
you are the center of everything. We are the same, many of us has their own problems and
struggles in life. Do not act, as if everything is about you.

d.) Better late than never. Know that it’s never too late to start showing respect and kindness to
someone. Sometimes that can start with two simple words: “I’m sorry.” Lots of lessons are
learned throughout Wonder and different characters learn to change their behavior because they
realize it’s not right and it’s hurting someone. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, so if
you feel like your actions have hurt someone else, start with an apology and go from there.

e.) “If they stare, let them stare. You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.
”Someone will often start bullying someone else because they see that person as different from
themselves in some way. In Wonder, Auggie is seen as different because he was born with a
condition that left him with a facial abnormality, making his face look different from many other
faces. Sadly, both in real life and in the world of books, a lot of people are scared by differences,
because they often don’t understand them. Auggie’s friend Jack comments that Auggie’s face
scared him when he first saw it in front of an ice cream shop. But as Auggie stresses while telling
his story, although he may look different on the outside, he’s very much an ordinary boy on the
inside. Throughout the course of the book, a lot of characters learn this lesson (some quicker
than others) and start seeing Auggie’s similarities shine through. But remember this, too: our
differences are what make us all unique and special.
 With all that has been said, I immediately recognized a,b,c and d. Because, I have been
observing and practicing them since I began to live from far home, in the seminary. But the “e”, it
has boosted my confidence and let me forget about my flaws and insecurity.

III. REFLECTION

As I scroll on Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram, I see many people flex their faces, their body,
nails, hair, and everything that is close or near flawlessness. And when I see them, I wish I have
what they have. I want to be perfect so no one will ever criticize my physical appearance.
Growing up, I have always been criticized by my looks, my not so neatly body and my
unsymmetrical face. I imagine I have what they have, would people think the same of me or will
they treat me as somewhat special? Like Auggie, I want to be accepted, the only difference is
Auggie didn’t want somebody’s face.

Unlike Auggie, blending in into groups is not much of a challenge for me, I was raised as an
extrovert. I already encountered many people that have very different personalities and I have
been included in numerous groups that are very different from each other. What makes it easy for
me? I go with the vibe, I am a person who is a jack of all traits, I’m interested in almost
everything, may it be science, sports, religion, NBA, cars, etc. When I use these traits and
knowledge about these things it’s not hard for me to blend in. If it’s the first time I’m hanging out
with a person or a group, I try to keep a low profile to asses and observe of what kind of person
they are. If we have similarities and differences I tend to focus on similarities.

Truth be told, no romanticizing included. Having an unpleasing physical appearance denies

us from living a normal and peaceful life. We, as human beings, do not have the same mindset
and attitude, in simple terms we are all imperfect. We always tend to judge others before knowing
who we judge. Our minds are fixated that those who are attractive is immediately related to
wealth and prosperity and are more worthy of enjoying such perks. I tell you this, looks can be
deceiving. I pray that someday, we will develop and evolve our way of thinking so that those who
are gifted but was corrupted in his/her physical form will someday be accepted wholeheartedly.
Just like in the movie, he was not immediately accepted for what he is, he has to go through
many struggles before the people around him understood and saw his true appearance. The
inner beauty, that is.

We were created in the likeness and image of God and we are called to be perfect and to be
holy, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).
We were asked to imitate our heavenly father, we are expected to have virtues such as fraternal
charity and prudence. “But the Lord said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his
lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the
appearance. The Lord looks into the heart” (Samuel 16:1). In this verse, it is said that the Lord
sees not as man sees, man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. In
the end of the movie “WONDER”, the characters disregarded on what seems to be an ugly face
of Auggie, instead they looked inside of his heart and found something beautiful. For it is not the
height, face, nose, weight, etc., we can know the genuine personalities of a man/woman but it is
through gazing deep into his heart. Just like what the Lord does.