Storytelling and Listening
Because of Winn-Dixie introduces readers to Opal, a 10-year-old girl who recently moved to the small town of Naomi, Florida with her daddy—and who finds and adopts a scruffy-looking stray dog in the grocery store one day. The dog, whom Opal names Winn-Dixie after the store, is Opal’s first friend in Naomi—and over the course of their adventures that summer, Winn-Dixie helps Opal make friends with others in her small town. As Opal…
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Sadness, Happiness, and Growing Up
At 10 years old, Opal is a child in every sense of the word—her perspective and understanding of the world are limited, somewhat selfish, and based purely on what adults have told her. However, over the course of the novel, Opal begins to grow up as she comes to terms with the fact that life is far more nuanced than she originally thought. Through her own experience and through her friends’ stories, she learns that…
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Family and Loss
For Opal, family is a somewhat difficult subject. While she loves her father (whom she refers to as “the preacher” in her mind and in her narration), he is somewhat neglectful in important ways. When combined with the fact that Opal’s mother, Mama, left the preacher and Opal seven years ago, it’s clear that Opal has every reason to feel abandoned and neglected. As Opal makes friends in Naomi, Florida, convinces the…
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Openness, Friendship, and Community
Because of Winn-Dixie is, in many ways, a study in both the negative consequences of prejudging others and what can happen when people approach others with curiosity, openness, and compassion. While the novel lays out perfectly understandable reasons why a person may be inclined to judge someone, it overwhelmingly suggests that these reasons nevertheless keep people from being able to truly connect with others. Being open, curious, and compassionate with people, meanwhile, is one of…
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