Because of Winn-Dixie — Chapter 25

About This Passage

This passage is the book's quietest moment of full joy followed by a quiet exit. Notice the word 'pure.' In Chapter 21, Opal's heart was 'swollen and full' but also ached for her mother — the joy was complicated. Here the joy is 'pure,' meaning no longer mixed with longing. The change is the measure of what Chapter 24's conversation with the preacher has accomplished. Then notice the quiet exit: 'I'll be back in a minute, I said. But they were all singing now and laughing and Winn-Dixie was snoring so no one heard me.' Opal is leaving the happiest room in the book at the moment when it is happiest. She is not leaving because of sadness; she is leaving because the happiness has made her ready for one final private conversation. Copying this passage teaches a writer how to render a moment of full joy and a quiet departure at the same time, and how the word 'pure' can mark a developmental milestone.

Narration Prompt

Retell the chapter. Then identify the moment Opal's 'pure happiness' arrives, and explain why it could not have arrived earlier in the book.

Discussion Questions

1. Winn-Dixie was under Gloria's bed the whole time Opal was searching in the rain, and he was drawn out by Otis's guitar. Analyze this detail as a craft move. Why is it Otis's music, specifically, that finds the lost dog?
2. The Dewberry boys are at the party now, singing along. Their transformation from tormentors to friends has been prepared since Chapter 12. Is the transformation earned, and does DiCamillo's long preparation make the moment feel inevitable or still surprising?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide