Skip to main content

In Tuck Everlasting, how is Winnie treated differently when she returns home from the way she was treated before she left?

Winnie's family micromanages Winnie.  They don't necessarily control everything that she does, but her parents and grandmother are constantly around telling Winnie what she should and should not do.  Colleagues of mine call those kinds of parents "helicopter parents," because they are always hovering over their children.  The constant oversight from Winnie's family is the number one reason why she wants to run away.  


"Come in now, Winnie. Right away. You'll get heat stroke out there on a day like this. And your lunch is ready."


"See?" said Winnie to the toad. "That's just what I mean. It's like that every minute. If I had a sister or a brother, there'd be someone else for them to watch. But, as it is, there's only me. I'm tired of being looked at all the time. . . I'll never be able to do anything important if I stay in here like this. I expect I'd better run away." 



After Winnie returns home from being with the Tucks, Winnie's family is relieved and excited by her return.  In fact, their response is completely normal.  Lots of hugs and excitement.  After all they did think that she had been kidnapped.  



They had seized her at once, flinging the gate open and swooping down on her, her mother weeping, her father speechless, hugging her to him, her grandmother babbling with excitement.



However, it doesn't take the family long to realize that Winnie is somehow different.   



. . . they sensed that she was different now from what she had been before. As if some part of her had slipped away.



Consequently, Winnie's family treats her differently.  They don't try to order her about as much.  In fact, it seems almost like her family is uncomfortable around Winnie.  They don't converse with her the same way as before and even sort of avoid confronting her in any way.  



But they peered at her anxiously over their shoulders as they tiptoed out of her bedroom. . . 



This odd treatment continues into the next day.  In the opening chapters, Winnie was ordered inside because it was too hot.  However, the day after she returns is even hotter, but nobody wants to order Winnie inside anymore.  They leave the decision up to Winnie. 



"I never saw such heat in all my life," said Winnie's grandmother, dabbing uselessly at her neck with a handkerchief. "Don't stay out here much longer."


"I won't," said Winnie, and was left alone once more.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more