Reaching Epiphany in R. J. Palacio’s Wonder: A Social Disability Study

Abstract

This paper presents the dilemma of a society dealing with disability through the captivating account of R.J. Palacio’s Wonder . The story tells of a ten-year old child with an extreme facial deformity that invokes both panic and fear. August Pullman, the protagonist of the story, has been home-schooled. However, at the age of ten he agrees to enter a private middle school. The novel, which covers one year of August’s life, features how community stigmatizes him. Overcoming the stigma attached to him is considered one of the challenges that faces him. This study elucidates the primary three emotions that emerge from stigmatization: fear, pity, and disgust. Although August is always subject to social rejection and isolation, the writer suggests that disability can lead to some positive consequences. August is able at the end of the school year to transcend the stigma imposed by society, and to reach a reconciliation with his state. Furthermore, he is able to set his peers free from the shackles of stereotyping and under-estimating him. The novel is not an ordinary tale telling the predicament of a child with a disability; instead, it is a tale of child with a disability who is able to change the perception of his peers to his disability. Palacio suggests that disability can motivate people change their reaction and perception of difference. Furthermore, August’s disability enlightens his able-bodied peers to his potentialities. His facial deformity is not a personal limitation but a way to reaching epiphany.