I can't believe that Jack joined in with the bullies in berating Auggie when he thought he wasn't there. I'm just glad Jack felt horrified when he put two-and-two together as to why Auggie was hostile to him, and the remorse he felt. I wonder why he didn't feel remorse in the first place.
I agree it was peer pressure.
However when we look past that point, Jack was still Auggie's one TRUE friend.
When the school picked kids to "welcome" Auggie to the school and show him around, Jack was the only one who actually got to know Auggie and befriend him.
When I watched, I felt a bit "sick" inside when Jack talked badly in front of other kids, but I felt that deep down, he regretted saying some of the things he did.
Its hard to accept the fact that Jack befriending Auggie would make him an outcast with other kids but that is how shallow and narrow minded most of those kids were.
Worse yet were some of the parents. How can you expect their kids to be better.
It's been a long time since I saw the movie, but wasn't there a scene where Auggie and his school were at some event, and when older boys from some other school picked on him, both Jack and Auggie's former bullies defended him? And didn't the former bully show up to support him at the end of the movie?
Yes, the bully's parents were to blame, especially the mother, but the bully himself atoned for his former behaviour.
you are correct.
The bullies DID atone for their actions...... which was honorable in the long run.
I liked the fact that Jack didnt automatically dismiss Auggie on the initial meeting.
I think the school should have been a bit better on judging the kids that first met with Auggie and showed him around the school. Having other kids like Jack would have been helpful to give Auggie other reinforcement besides Jack and at the same time Jack would not have had peer pressure from other kids who got to know Auggie and befriended him.
Most teachers know many of their students well enough to know who the bullies are and who the "self absorbed" kids are as well as those who are more likely to stick up for the underdog (so to speak).
The lesson here is when cool kids band together, there is reinforcement against bullies and kids "in the middle" can feel better about siding in with a supportive group.
Jack didnt want to feel like an outcast but he learned that you cant be faithful to both sides. You must take a stand. Its good to see that others followed.
Yeah, peer pressure. But also: kids. Didn't you say things as a kid that you didn't really mean and later regretted, or maybe felt bad about saying it immediately.
But I also remember experiencing forgiveness as a kid, which is what happened here. Auggie came to know that Jack was still a friend and this part of the movie is honest, because it's how I remember it.
Note that at no place in the film did they try to explain why Jack said it -- just the apology and forgiveness, which was the more important aspect.
While I agree with the other posters that it was due to peer pressure, it seemed very uncharacteristic that Jack would say that. Even before they became friends and he was giving the tour, Jack was very outspoken and put the bully in his place a few times. Kids can say stupid things …. at least they can fall back that they are only kids. Much worse when adults do it. :)
shareI knew instantly he didn't really mean what he said behind his back, he just was saying it to appease his preexisting friends who didn't like Auggie.
It was a wonderful movie, watched it with my little kids on the weekend and they were fully engrossed.