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70 pages 2 hours read

Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2000

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Character Analysis

India Opal Buloni

India Opal Buloni is the protagonist of the story. She has recently moved to Naomi, Florida, with her father, the preacher, and she is lonely and misses her mother, who left her when she was a too young to remember. Opal’s pride and joy is Winn-Dixie, a stray dog she adopts one day at the grocery store. Opal befriends many older people in Naomi who understand loss and pain, but soon realizes that even the young people in Naomi have some ideas about grief. Over the course of the novel, Opal accepts that her mother is not coming back and learns how to become more empathetic for people she does not totally understand. She also comes to accept that life is a confusing mix of sadness and joy, and that it is sometimes impossible to tease out one emotion from another.

Winn-Dixie

Winn-Dixie is the dog who changes Opal’s life. He is a stray and in rough shape when Opal first meets him. He has patches of hair missing and smells quite bad. Opal takes care of him, and he loves her very much. He wins over everyone around him with his winning smile, which he gives whenever he wants to make a friend. Winn-Dixie loves peanut butter, hates being left alone, and has a fear of thunderstorms. He helps Opal come out of her shell and meet people in Naomi, and he ultimately leads her to come to terms with the sadness in her life.

The Preacher

The preacher is Opal’s father. He is a single parent—Opal’s mother left him when Opal was a baby, due primarily to her experience with addiction. The preacher is dedicated to his church and spends most of his time writing sermons and studying the Bible. Opal says that the preacher is like a turtle in a shell—when he is uncomfortable, he hides inside himself. He is very forgiving and a good father—he encourages Opal to be kind, apologize, and branch out. The preacher is obviously also grieving Opal’s mother, even after many years alone. At the end of the novel, however, he reveals how thankful he is that he has Opal in his life.

Miss Franny Block

Miss Franny Block is the Naomi librarian. She has been the librarian since her father built her the library when she was a girl. Miss Franny has many wonderful stories, including a story about a bear who borrowed a book and the tale of her family fortune. Miss Franny encourages Opal to reach out to another avid young reader in town, Amanda Wilkinson, despite Opal’s reservations.

Otis

Otis is the manager of Gertrude’s Pets. He has hair like Elvis and wears pointy shoes. Otis is quite shy, and surprises Opal when she discovers him one day playing music for the animals. Otis often lefts the animals out of their cages, because he knows what it is like to be locked up all day—he was thrown in jail for punching a police officer. Otis saves the day when his music coaxes Winn-Dixie out of his hiding spot after the thunderstorm at Gloria Dump’s party. Otis comes into his own at the party—though he is initially hesitant to go, he finds joy in playing his music for people again after many years of loneliness.

Amanda Wilkinson

Amanda Wilkinson is around Opal’s age. She goes to Opal’s church, and Opal describes her as “pinch-faced”—meaning snotty or unpleasant. Amanda is a little bit of a know it all and not always the most tactful—she frequently demands Miss Franny’s attention in the middle of conversations with Opal. Opal becomes more forgiving of Amanda after a story about Littmus Block, when she discovers that Amanda is also grieving the loss of someone she loves. Amanda’s brother Carson drowned the year before when he was only five years old. Opal becomes much kinder to Amanda after she learns this, because she understands the pain she is experiencing.

Gloria Dump

Gloria Dump is a kind older woman who lives in a house with a beautiful garden in Naomi. Opal meets her when Winn-Dixie runs into her yard because he smells peanut butter. Gloria Dump is blind, so Opal visits often to tell Gloria stories, and keep her company. Gloria helps Opal grow a small tree, and the pair read Gone with the Wind together. Gloria Dump teaches Opal how to see with her heart when she explains a tree in her backyard—the mistake tree. It is full of empty liquor and wine bottles, and Gloria says it reminds her of her past, and the mistakes she made before she understood the meaning of life. The Dewberry brothers believe Gloria is a witch at first because she does not come out much, but they eventually befriend her at Opal’s party.

Dunlap and Stevie Dewberry

Dunlap and Stevie Dewberry are the same age as Opal, between nine and 10 years old. They are not twins, but they look nearly the same. Stevie is much meaner to Opal, and he insists on calling Gloria a “witch.” Dunlap is more forgiving, and clearly wants to befriend Opal. Opal finally agrees to become friends with the brothers at her party at Gloria Dump’s house, when they offer to help her find Winn-Dixie and prove they are not so mean after all.

Littmus Block

Littmus Block is Franny Block’s great-grandfather. He is long dead at the time of the story, but his candy, the Littmus Lozenge, lives on. Littmus Block was in the Civil War at 14 years old and came back an orphan with no siblings left, and his house burned down. He decided to build a candy factory, and eventually created the Block family fortune.

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