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Another theme in the story is loneliness. When Opal first moved to Naomi, she felt very lonely because her mother left her and her father. She had no friends at the time because she had just moved. Opal felt abandoned and not like the other kids.

The preacher was also lonely as well because his wife left him and he only had Opal. Otis was lonely as well because he was arrested for playing music in the streets. Gloria was also lonely because she was known as a witch. Amanda was also very lonely because her brother, Carson, died by drowning in a swimming pool.

Because of Winn-Dixie, friendships were made.

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Winn-Dixie is a loving dog who helps Opal heal her heart by making new friends throughout the community. Winn-Dixie loves people and loves making new friends. He's very loyal and he brings out the best in everybody.

When Opal first meets Winn-Dixie, he opens his heart to her by letting out a big smile which makes Opal want to take him home. He quickly becomes Opal's best friend. He listens to her and makes her smile. Winn-Dixie gives Opal love (just from a smile).

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Gloria has a kind, loving soul. She helped Opal so much on how to see that beauty is skin deep. Opal met Gloria one day when Winn Dixie ran away from her.

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There are many themes throughout the book, but the theme that really stuck out to me is friendship. Winn-Dixie allowed Opal to open up and express herself. Opal didn't really know how to do that with her father. According to Opal, the preacher was like a little turtle who never came out of his shell.

Together with Winn-Dixie, Opal made many friends in her new town. Opal is kindhearted and from the moment she met Winn-Dixie, she called him her own. She treated him like a person and he loved her back.

Together they collected stories from the many people they met over the summer. Opal sees people for who they are and in the end friendships were created.

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Opal was lonely because she lost her mother at a very young age. Winn-Dixie helped her get over her loneliness. He allowed her to make new friends within the community.
Opal makes an amazing role model. She makes the world a better place. She's very confident and helps others. She brought the community together and was able to heal her heart from those friends.

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Page 159

Gloria whispers to Opal, "There ain't no way you can hold on to something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it." This reminds me of what my great-grandmother and I once talked about. She said, "If you love something let it go, if it comes back to you then it's yours, if it doesn't, it never was." Opal's mother left her when she was three and Opal is still hurting from her abandonment.

There are kids in our world with only one parent and sometimes no parents at all. It is very sad.

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Pages 65 and 66

You should see people with your heart and not with your eyes! Gloria asks Opal to tell her everything about her so she could see her through her heart instead of her eyes. Gloria was blind. Gloria truly sees people for who they are on the inside. People are sometimes judgmental about others based on their outward appearance.

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Page 64

I picture Gloria exactly as they describe her. Old, big floppy hat, wrinkles, brown skin and no teeth. A quirky old lady.

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Page 12

I wonder if Opal's dad will let her keep this mess of a dog? Opal finds this dog in a grocery store and pretends to be it's owner. The dog is a mess and looked like a big piece of brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.

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Finding Winn Dixie made Opal's life so much better. She learned about her mother, made more friends, becomes closer with her father, andsees people for who they are not what they look like on the outside. She doesn't judge people because of their pasts. Opal shows compassion and forgiveness. Their community becomes a better place.