Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Because of Winn-Dixie, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Storytelling and Listening
Sadness, Happiness, and Growing Up
Family and Loss
Openness, Friendship, and Community
Summary
Analysis
Opal tells Gloria about moving to Naomi with the preacher and leaving her friends behind, about Mama leaving, and about the 10 things she knows about Mama. She talks about missing Mama and how the preacher hides in a turtle shell. Opal talks about finding Winn-Dixie, meeting Miss Franny, and getting a job with Otis at Gertrude’s Pets. She talks about her excitement for Sweetie Pie’s birthday and how Dunlap and Stevie think that Gloria is a witch. Opal insists that the boys are mean and stupid. Gloria nods, and Opal can tell she’s listening with her whole heart. When Opal is done, Gloria suggests that Opal might be more like Mama than she thinks—maybe Opal also has a green thumb. She suggests they plant something and see how it does.
Gloria suggestion that Opal may have inherited her mother’s green thumb is telling—it’s an attempt to get Opal to think about herself and her relationship to Mama in a new way. Essentially, Gloria is trying to help Opal understand that she has the power to grow things and nurture them. While Gloria is talking specifically about plants here, the underlying message is that Opal also has the power to nurture her friendships with others if she thinks of her connection to Mama in a positive way rather than allowing it to hold her back.
Themes
Gloria selects a tree, but it doesn’t look much like a tree—to Opal, it looks like a plant. However, Opal dutifully digs a hole and pats dirt around it. When Opal asks what kind of tree it is, Gloria replies that it’s a wait-and-see tree. In other words, she doesn’t know what it is, but they’ll find out when it grows up. Opal asks if she can visit the tree tomorrow. Gloria says that Opal is always welcome in her garden, but she warns her that the tree won’t look much different by tomorrow. Opal suggests that she’d also like to see Gloria, which makes Gloria harrumph. That night, as the preacher tucks Opal in, Opal tells him about meeting all of her new friends. He kisses Opal and then Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie opens his mouth like he’s laughing, and the preacher laughs back.
The wait-and-see tree symbolizes Opal. Like the tree, it’s not clear exactly what Opal is going to be when she grows up—she, and those around her, will have to “wait and see.” However, this doesn’t mean that Opal doesn’t deserve kindness and care while she’s in the middle of growing. In some ways, this is an indictment of the preacher, who makes Opal feel alone and neglected. On the other hand, it also speaks to what a community can do for a young person like Opal. Opal might not get as much attention as she wants at home, but she now has Miss Franny and Gloria to help her.
Themes
