"All by myself/don't wanna beeeeeeee all by myself…" This is basically the theme song for Because of Winn-Dixie. Opal is sad and depressed until she meets Winn-Dixie, who helps her cowgirl up and escape her All-by-Myself-ness. Miss Franny Block could use some amigos to tell her stories to. The animals and his guitar are not cutting it for Otis, and even Gloria Dump needs a friend. And talk about lonely: Amanda Wilkinson needs a big hug and a sympathetic ear. Sure, alone time has its place, but it's not so fun when it's permanent. As Opal reaches out to other lonely people, she finds she is not the only one reaping the benefits.
Questions About Isolation
- How does Winn-Dixie act as a catalyst to help characters overcome their loneliness? Could Winn-Dixie have been a cat? Or a gerbil?
- Do you think the Dewberry boys are actually lonely? Why or why not?
- Have Opal and the preacher stopped missing her mom at the end of the novel, or have they simply learned to live with their isolation?
Chew on This
Opal is correct in her statement that "everyone in the world [is] lonely" (19.32).
If it weren't for the preacher's habit of isolating himself from the world into his turtle shell, Opal never would have come out of her own shell.