She is respectful and mature for her age and because of this, she is able to connect well with people who are much older than her. Winn-Dixie is the dog that the story's protagonist takes in after a chance encounter at a grocery store.
He is named after the grocery store he was found in. Winn-Dixie is a gentle and friendly creature who helps Opal make friends with a variety of people. Winn-Dixie is a loyal friend and constant companion to Opal.
He loves peanut butter, music, stories, and he smiles by baring all of his teeth. He finds a way to connect with all sorts of people—he appreciates Otis' music, Ms. Franny's stories, and Gloria Dump's sandwiches. Opal refers to her father as Preacher throughout Because of Winn-Dixie , and because of this, the reader never learns his real name. The preacher is a man defined by his profession.
In one passage, Opal compares her father to a turtle who keeps his head in his shell. When Opal's mother left him, she broke his heart, and he has never recovered. He suffers in silence and throws himself into his work, which makes him into a good man and a good preacher, but not an ideal father to Opal. Opal has a complicated relationship with her father, but Winn-Dixie's new presence in their home lets him open up and see what his distance was doing to his daughter.
Gloria Dump is an old woman who becomes one of Opal and Winn-Dixie's closest friends. She lives in an old and eerie house surrounded by thick, unkempt vegetation. Because of the appearance of her home, a myth about her being a witch emerged in town, believed in particular by neighborhood children. With the help of Winn-Dixie, Opal finds that she is actually a kind lady with a self-deprecating sense of humor.
Gloria fills some of the hole that Opal's mother left behind by listening to all of Opal's stories and offering wise advice. Gloria teaches Opal important lessons about acceptance, life, and love.
She encourages Opal to accept the mistakes she makes and teaches her that the decisions one makes after the mistakes are what define them.
Miss Franny Block is the town librarian and owner of the town library. Miss Franny is a lonely woman who has not created any new memories, but has instead spent her life hoarding old ones. We're there! Okay, but really, the candy teaches about surviving sorrow and the blending of sweetness and sadness in life.
And Miss Franny sure can't resist a smiling dog and a little girl who will actually listen to her stories. Shy and quiet Otis teaches Opal that going to jail doesn't make someone a criminal. And this trusting child who listens to his music lures Otis out of his loneliness. And Opal can't help but be attracted to Gloria Dump, who can't see worth a darn, but she "can see [Opal] with her heart" 9. She teaches Opal to "wait-and-see" about people, plants, and her personal demons.
On the other hand, Gloria finally finds solace and friendship in a child who cares enough to visit her—and not only to see her tree grow—she comes "because [she] wants to see her," simple as that Opal's desire to love and be loved glues this Lonely Hearts Club together. As each of her friends heals her heart and teaches her life lessons, Opal's healing effect on each of their hearts also increases.
And from there, her increased compassion finds her more friends and more love—like a never ending Love-Go-Round. Or maybe just a magic penny. Thanks be to John Lennon for such inspired words.
This phrase might as well be the mantra that's a fancy word for a motto—what's a motto? What's a motto with you? No matter how much love she shares and gives her friends, they can't take the place of her mother. How can we tell? Check this out. I went right back to my room and wrote down all ten things that the preacher had told me.
I wrote them down just the way he said them to me so that I wouldn't forget them, and then I read them out loud to Winn-Dixie until I had them memorized. I wanted to know those ten things inside and out. That way, if my mama ever came back, I could recognize her, and I would be able to grab her and hold on to her tight and not let her get away from me again. She aches to tell her mother stories, hopes she'll return someday, and even accuses her father of giving up on her, trying to make it his fault she left.
Nothing the preacher could do could bring her back. Thanks to Winn-Dixie, Opal meets Gloria Dump and dumps her entire life story into her lap pun intended. In return, Gloria Dump teaches Opal about her mistake tree. Opal and the preacher realize that thunderstorms freak Winn-Dixie out. Cue foreshadowing. Block and his famous candy. She gives Opal a bunch of Littmus Lozenges, and Opal hands them out to everyone she knows. Thanks to the tasty candies, Opal learns that pretty much everyone—even five-year-olds—is sad about something.
Gloria and Opal throw a party.
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