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
Every day, Opal and Winn-Dixie get up early so they can listen to Otis play at Gertrude’s Pets. Sometimes Sweetie Pie joins them and sits rocking Winn-Dixie. When the concert is over, Sweetie Pie often tries to pick out which pet she wants. Sweetie Pie always gives up and heads home, since all she wants is a dog like Winn-Dixie. Then, Opal sweeps and organizes some shelves, and Otis records Opal’s time. He never acts like a criminal. After work, Opal and Winn-Dixie go to the library to talk with Miss Franny and hear a story. Then, they head to Gloria’s. It’s Opal’s favorite place to be, and she suspects that it’s Winn-Dixie’s favorite too.
Again, Sweetie Pie demonstrates that she’s very nonjudgmental—she’s here for the music, the animals, and especially the dog she loves. She doesn’t know or care that Otis has been to jail. As Opal observes that Otis never acts like a criminal, she begins to question her own thoughts on what makes people good or bad. Essentially, she has to ask herself if Otis is a bad person just because he’s been in jail, even though he’s a sweet person now.
Themes
Dunlap and Stevie sometimes follow Opal and shout that she’s visiting a witch. It makes Opal mad that they persist in saying that Gloria is a witch. One day, Stevie says that according to his mama, Opal shouldn’t be spending her time with old ladies and should be playing with kids instead. Dunlap tells Stevie to stop and insists to Opal that Stevie didn’t mean it, but Opal spits that Stevie’s mama isn’t her mama, so she can’t tell Opal what to do. Stevie threatens to tell so that the preacher will shame Opal in front of the church. He hisses that Otis was in jail and is mentally disabled, but Opal insists that the preacher already knows.
Opal finally reaches the end of her rope when Stevie essentially insists that Opal’s new friends aren’t good enough. As far as Opal is concerned, her elderly friends are the best friends she’s ever had—especially since their friendships are built on stories and listening to each other tell them. However, it’s also worth noting that Dunlap again behaves as though he’s not actually as interested in annoying Opal as she might think. Rather, Opal is cutting herself off from a potential friend because she lumps him in with Stevie’s pestering.
Themes
This happens daily. By the time Opal reaches Gloria’s garden, she’s worn out and is happy to accept a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of coffee. One day, Gloria asks Opal why she doesn’t play with Stevie and Dunlap. Opal insists that they’re ignorant and still think that Gloria is a witch. Though Gloria insists that they’re just trying to make friends, Opal maintains that she doesn’t want to be their friend—and they’re stupid and mean. Gloria shakes her head, sighs, and asks Opal if she has any stories to share. Opal always does.
This is hard to hear for Opal—to her, it likely sounds as if Gloria is essentially saying what Stevie said: that Opal’s friends aren’t good enough and don’t count. Gloria’s generous interpretation of what’s going on with Dunlap and Stevie drives home the novel’s assertion that it does no one any favors to judge others. In Gloria’s assessment, Opal is remaining stubborn in despite evidence that Dunlap (and even Stevie) might not be that bad.
Themes
