Jack was unaware that August could hear what he was saying to Julian and the other boys. He had no clue that his words would be heard by August. Jack expressed how he was made by the principal to be friends with August and if he looked like August, he would kill himself. These truly are terrible words, but I do not believe that Jack was a terrible person.
Sometimes in life we do things that we regret. We make choices that we normally wouldn't because of the pressures around us. Some people are stronger than others when it comes to pressure, but we all fall prey to it at some point. What Jack did was wrong and he knew it. When he found out that August overheard him he felt such guilt and remorse. Other characters in the book stood up to those pressures; such as Via and Summer, but the truth is, Jack was a 5th grade boy that made a mistake. Should he have stood up to those boys? Yes. Should he had turned and walked away instead of bashing another student? Yes. But being a young child, sometimes that is easier said than done.
I believe this part brought a great deal of realism to the story. Jack brought a very realistic feel to the story. People make mistakes. Some kids and adults can be very cruel. I think that Jack's mistakes reminds us that you never know what you will do when you are challenged by those around you; especially when you are very young and trying to make your place in the world. Jack didn't mean what he said, he just went a long with the crowd so he wouldn't become the victim. One thing Jack does do is he learns from his mistakes and stands up to the crowd later on, leaving him to truly be one of Auggie's best friends. If we admit our mistakes and learn from them, those who truly matter will forgive us and move on. At some point in our life, we have all probably been in a similar situation and made a decision we did regret. It does not make us bad people, it makes us humans and human beings make mistakes.
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