Coming of Age
To me coming of age means your growing up and learning that you are no longer a child and that you are expected to make your own decisions and take care of yourself. It also means you should be more mature and get your work done. That you should be more responsible and try not to be immature. Coming of age is learning how life works and how the world works. Its learning why you are here and what is your destiny on this planet. What you want to become and do with your life, what you believe in, and most important figure out who you are as a person. Growing up has to do with being able to face challenges on your own and become a stronger person for doing so.Growing up can be hard because you have to let go of the past and use skills you have learned your entire life to work towards your future. It can also be hard because you have to grow up on your own. Sure people can tell you and push you to grow up, but you can only do it by yourself. Growing up is a difficult and long process but it is worth it, because in the end being mature is what makes you find your way in the world, and now in the twenty-first century, where you need an education to get a good job, and things cost more than they used to you need to grow up and become a good person. I guess what I’m trying to say is, in order to find out who you are you have to grow and find your way without help.We all have our immature moments,but, they are part of coming of age. This is what coming of age means to me.
Dynamic Caracter
In “Because Of Winn-Dixie” the dynamic character in the story so far is India Opal. Her goal is to take care of the dog she found in the grocery store and keep him. Another goal is she wants to learn more about her mom that left when she was young. She also wants to find her and make new friends in her new town.Most kids do not want to be friends with her because she is the preacher daughter and they think she will tell the preacher everything they do that is bad or something that God would not like.Some of the events that make her want to achieve that is that she moved away from her home where all her friends live and has no friends in this town and is lonely. A event that makes her want to learn about her mom is that her mom left when she was little so she dose not remember her mom and her father dose not talk about her much because he misses her. She is lonely and wants Winn-Dixie to keep her company. I think she is using him to fill the void of not having friends or a mother. She says she wants to take care of him because he has no home. I predict that Winn-Dixie is going to help her find friends and learn more about her mother.India Opal has changed so far because she talked her Dad in to keeping Winn-Dixie and kind of just stood up and said she was going to keep the dog.I think she also changed when she moved because she had to leave her friends and adapt to a knew neighborhood. I think Opal will change more as the book goes on. She will probably meet new people and start a great life.
Conflict
The conflict in “Because Of Winn-Dixie” is that the girl, India Opal Buloni, has just moved to a new town away from all her friends. She has trouble making new friends because she is the preacher’s daughter and they are afraid she will tell her father everything they do that is ungodly. Another conflict is that her mom left when she was young so she wants to learn more about her and hopefully someday find her. Some events that lead up to the conflict, her mother leaving because her parents fought a lot and because her mother hated being the preachers wife.That contributed to the conflict because it makes Opal upset because she misses her mom and her dad dose not talk about her much because he misses her. India Opal says “Sometimes he reminds her of a turtle hiding inside of his shell.” She finally got him to tell her ten things about her mom. Still she misses her mom and wants to know why she left her. Another event that led up to the conflict was that her father decided to switch churches so they had to move.She had to leave behind all her friends and class mates to live in this new town that has kids like, a five year old named Sweetie Pie Thomson, Two bald brothers that look like twins ,and a snotty girl named Amanda Wilkinson. None of them wanted to be her friends. Events that effected the conflict was her finding Winn-Dixie. Since she found him things have been going well. She got a job,the librarian as a friend, got invited to a birthday party from Sweetie Pie Thomson (even though she was only five it made India Opal happy). Plus she met Gloria Dump, a woman who has trouble seeing but is very kind and loves Winn-Dixie. Another event that effected the conflict was when her dad told her ten things about her mother. That helped her learn what her mom was like and what life might have been like if she hadn't left. It also taught he a little about her dad and how he feels about her mom leaving them.
Climax
The Climax in my opinion was when Winn-Dixie ran away because of the thunder storm.
Winn-Dixie is pathologically afraid of thunder storms.Whenever one happens he runs around and hides under things. So when Opal and her new friend Gloria Dump throw a party with all there other new friends like, Otis, Sweetie Pie Thomson, Opal’s Dad (the preacher), The Librarian Miss.Franny, Amanda, and The Dewberry boys (Stevie and Dunlap). The party was going great. They had decorated Gloria Dumps backyard with candles,made sandwiches and Punch. As the party got under way it started raining and the lightning and thunder started. Everyone was so busy getting the sandwiches and punch and other party stuff out of the rain they forgot about Winn-Dixie. When they got inside they realized they could not find him. Opal got very upset because she thought it was her fault because she forgot and did not watch him. Her and her father went out in the rain to find Winn-Dixie. They looked everywhere. Finally her father wanted to quit. She got mad and started yelling at him.She said that he probably did not even go looking to find her mother. Thats when she learned that her dad missed her mom every day and tried to keep her from leaving but he couldn't. He also told her that he loved Winn-Dixie and wanted to find him too. They got a better understanding of each other.
He also told her that he loved her and was so glad that her mother left her with him instead of taking Opal with her. Opal was glad too. When they got back they saw that the guests at the party where singing and Otis was playing guitar. At first she was upset because she didn't understand why they where so happy when Winn-Dixie was missing, but soon she learned that they had found him. He was in the house the whole time hiding under the bed. They found him because he kept sneezing. Opal was so happy. She didn't feel as empty anymore. She had friends, she got closer to her dad,she got a job,a new dog, and she does no need to think about her mom so much anymore,and it was all because of Winn-Dixie.
Winn-Dixie is pathologically afraid of thunder storms.Whenever one happens he runs around and hides under things. So when Opal and her new friend Gloria Dump throw a party with all there other new friends like, Otis, Sweetie Pie Thomson, Opal’s Dad (the preacher), The Librarian Miss.Franny, Amanda, and The Dewberry boys (Stevie and Dunlap). The party was going great. They had decorated Gloria Dumps backyard with candles,made sandwiches and Punch. As the party got under way it started raining and the lightning and thunder started. Everyone was so busy getting the sandwiches and punch and other party stuff out of the rain they forgot about Winn-Dixie. When they got inside they realized they could not find him. Opal got very upset because she thought it was her fault because she forgot and did not watch him. Her and her father went out in the rain to find Winn-Dixie. They looked everywhere. Finally her father wanted to quit. She got mad and started yelling at him.She said that he probably did not even go looking to find her mother. Thats when she learned that her dad missed her mom every day and tried to keep her from leaving but he couldn't. He also told her that he loved Winn-Dixie and wanted to find him too. They got a better understanding of each other.
He also told her that he loved her and was so glad that her mother left her with him instead of taking Opal with her. Opal was glad too. When they got back they saw that the guests at the party where singing and Otis was playing guitar. At first she was upset because she didn't understand why they where so happy when Winn-Dixie was missing, but soon she learned that they had found him. He was in the house the whole time hiding under the bed. They found him because he kept sneezing. Opal was so happy. She didn't feel as empty anymore. She had friends, she got closer to her dad,she got a job,a new dog, and she does no need to think about her mom so much anymore,and it was all because of Winn-Dixie.
How India Opal Changed...
The Dynamic character, India Opal, has come of age quite a bit during the book. In the beginning she had no friends and barley knew anyone. At the end of the story she made tons of new friends and was a lot less lonely. She also really missed her mom and wished she could meet her mom. She also learned a lot about her dad. In the beginning she thought he didn’t try to stop her mom for leaving,she thought he was like a turtle, every time she would try to bring her mom up in a conversation he would just pull his head back in to his shell. She learned that he really missed her mom and tried to keep her from leaving,but he couldn’t. She also learned how much her father loves her.
She made new friends, like Gloria Dump. She learned from Gloria Dump that just because a person dose bad things dose not mean they are a bad person, like Gloria was a drinker and said she did some bad things, so she hangs the alcohol bottles to “scare away” the ghosts of the things she has done wrong. Otis also taught her that because he went to jail and India Opal thought that meant he was a bad and that she shouldn't be around him. She learned that he was not dangerous and was actually a nice man. She learned from Amanda Wilkinson, the girl with a face that is always pinched up and never talks to Opal has taught her that some people have more problems and complications in their life then you can see just by looking at them. She learned that because she figured out that Amanda’s little brother drown last summer and that the reason her face is always pinched up is because she misses him.She changed because she stopped thinking she needed her mom. She now has friends and a job, a dog, and she is happy. She learned that everyone has there own journey but you don’t judge them by the path they walked in the past, judge them by the path they choose now.
She made new friends, like Gloria Dump. She learned from Gloria Dump that just because a person dose bad things dose not mean they are a bad person, like Gloria was a drinker and said she did some bad things, so she hangs the alcohol bottles to “scare away” the ghosts of the things she has done wrong. Otis also taught her that because he went to jail and India Opal thought that meant he was a bad and that she shouldn't be around him. She learned that he was not dangerous and was actually a nice man. She learned from Amanda Wilkinson, the girl with a face that is always pinched up and never talks to Opal has taught her that some people have more problems and complications in their life then you can see just by looking at them. She learned that because she figured out that Amanda’s little brother drown last summer and that the reason her face is always pinched up is because she misses him.She changed because she stopped thinking she needed her mom. She now has friends and a job, a dog, and she is happy. She learned that everyone has there own journey but you don’t judge them by the path they walked in the past, judge them by the path they choose now.