Mr. Tushman Character Analysis in Wonder

Mr. Tushman is the principal of Beecher Prep, a private middle school in upper Manhattan. He's an older man with gray hair, and August describes him as perfectly normal-looking. Mr. Tushman also has a sense of humor about his name, which he uses to poke fun at himself and form relationships with his students. He's clearly able to see the nuance of his job, as when he bends the rules to allow Jack to not be expelled for punching Julian. With this, Mr. Tushman shows that he recognizes that it's important to encourage kids like Jack to stand up for their friends whenever possible. Mr. Tushman also stands up to Julian's mom when she raises concerns that August shouldn't be allowed at Beecher Prep. Though August observes that Mr. Tushman has a very minimal presence for much of the school year, Mr. Tushman admits at the end of the year that he was aware of Julian's bullying and could've done something about it had August confided in him. Mr. Tushman's final address at the graduation ceremony for the fifth and sixth graders is built around the idea that kindness is a choice, and it's not always an easy one to make. He encourages his students to choose kind whenever they can and to always be "kinder than necessary."

Mr. Tushman Quotes in Wonder

The Wonder quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Tushman or refer to Mr. Tushman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

"Kinder than is necessary," he repeated. "What a marvelous line, isn't it? Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness."

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 300

Explanation and Analysis:

Mr. Tushman Character Timeline in Wonder

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Tushman appears in Wonder. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Mom asks if August will at least meet Mr. Tushman , the principal, and August is aghast at Mr. Tushman's name. Dad jokes about Mr.... (full context)

August explains that he wasn't nervous about meeting Mr. Tushman because he didn't know that he'd also be meeting other kids. He and Mom arrive... (full context)

Mom and August follow Mr. Tushman through the school. August hides behind Mom and feels "babyish" doing so, but he explains... (full context)

Mr. Tushman leads Mom and August into his office. August looks at the interesting items on Mr.... (full context)

...mean kids. Mrs. G pokes her head in and explains that "they" are here, and Mr. Tushman explains that he's brought in a few kids from homeroom to show him around. August... (full context)

With that, Mr. Tushman shows two boys and a girl into his office. They don't look at August or... (full context)

...in a fire. Charlotte exclaims to Julian that he's being rude, and reminds him that Mr. Tushman explained that August was born that way. Jack yells for Julian to shut up and... (full context)

...signal that he's ready to leave. Mom pretends to check her watch and explains to Mr. Tushman that Via is going to Faulkner High School this fall. Mom and August leave quickly,... (full context)

...like August, and Julian asks why he even hangs out with August. Jack explains that Mr. Tushman asked him to, and now August just follows him everywhere. August doesn't hear anything else... (full context)

...tell Mom and Dad about Jack if August stops going to school, saying that if Mr. Tushman finds out, he'll make Jack apologize in front of the whole school and everyone will... (full context)

...that August is nice, and deflects when people call her a saint or suggest that Mr. Tushman asked her to be nice. Summer thinks that kids are weird. She explains that she... (full context)

...her that she doesn't have to be friends with him. He says that he knows Mr. Tushman talked to her and told her to be friends with him. Aghast and angry, Summer... (full context)

Jack begins his narration in August, when his mom gets a call from Mr. Tushman . Mr. Tushman asks Jack's mom if Jack would be willing to come in before... (full context)

Later that night, Jack asks Jack's mom who else Mr. Tushman called. She says that he called Julian and Charlotte, and Jack insists that Julian is... (full context)

...wants to be friends with him. He was only nice to him at first because Mr. Tushman asked him to be but now, he'd want to hang out with August over anyone... (full context)

In Mr. Tushman 's office, Jack sits and listens to Mr. Tushman talk about expulsion. Jack's mom is... (full context)

Jack writes a letter to Mr. Tushman telling him that he knows that what he did was wrong, but he'd rather not... (full context)

Julian's mom writes an email to Mr. Tushman that's CC'd to Jack's parents. It explains that she supports Jack's return to school, but... (full context)

...Jack's parents begged the school to not expel him, and that this all happened because Mr. Tushman forced Jack to be friends with August. Charlotte says too that Julian's mom is pushing... (full context)

...and Henry come up behind them and ask what's going on. Amos calmly says that Mr. Tushman is waiting for them, so August helps Jack up and walks towards Amos. Eddie reaches... (full context)

...told their friends what happened and the story spread, all the way to the teachers. Mr. Tushman talked to Amos, Jack, Henry, and Miles about the boys that tried to attack them,... (full context)

...gets back to Beecher Prep, August sees Mom waiting for him with the other parents. Mr. Tushman already told her about what happened and mentioned that the camp plans to pay for... (full context)

On the day before the last day of school, Mr. Tushman calls August to his office. He found out the names of the seventh graders from... (full context)

Mr. Tushman asks August to sit down and remarks that it's amazing that the school year is... (full context)

August notices that the pumpkin portrait that used to be behind Mr. Tushman 's desk has since been replaced by August's self-portrait as a duck. Mr. Tushman explains... (full context)

An hour later, August and his classmates listen to Mr. Tushman 's address. Mr. Tushman jokes about how long-winded he is before saying that fifth and... (full context)

Mr. Tushman reads a quote from Christopher Nolan, also about kindness, and then leans forward. He tells... (full context)

...the speeches but perks up when a teacher calls Honor Roll, which he made. Then, Mr. Tushman presents medals for academic excellence. Finally, he introduces the Henry Ward Beecher medal, which has... (full context)

August can barely understand what's happening. His classmates push him up and towards Mr. Tushman , high fiving him along the way. August feels like he's floating as everyone stands... (full context)

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Mr. Tushman Character Analysis

Mr. Tushman Quotes in Wonder

Mr. Tushman Character Timeline in Wonder

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