Editor's Choice

What are five reasons Winnie didn't drink the water in Tuck Everlasting?

Quick answer:

Winnie, in Tuck Everlasting, chooses not to drink the immortality-granting water for several reasons. First, she wishes to experience life beyond her current age of ten. Second, she is influenced by the Tuck family's negative experiences with immortality. Third, she is moved by Mae and Angus Tuck's fears of overpopulation and loss of afterlife. Fourth, she doesn't want to be eternally unhappy. Lastly, she is initially discouraged by her love interest, Jesse, leading her to make her own decision.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Tuck Everlasting, written by Natalie Babbitt, is about immortality. The Tuck family discovers an eternal spring that gives everlasting life. When she runs away from home, a young girl named Winnie finds this family and decides to live with them. Winnie debates whether or not she should drink from this spring and become immortal and eventually decides not to drink from the spring. Winnie makes this decision for several reasons.

One reason Winnie decides not to drink the water is because she wants to experience life at other ages than only ten years old, the age at which she first meets the Tucks. When a person drinks the water, they are frozen at that age for eternity.

Another reason Winnie decides not to drink the water is because she has heard the stories of members of the Tuck family who have had bad experiences with becoming immortal. For...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

an example Miles Tuck, a 22 year old, lost his wife and children because his wife thought he sold his soul to the devil.

A third reason Winnie decides not to drink the water is because of her conversations with Mae Tuck and Angus Tuck. Both Mae and Angus worry that other people will discover this water and will want to drink from the spring. They worry that if everyone becomes immortal, the world will be overcrowded. Angus also dislikes his own immortality because he wants to experience the after-life.

A fourth reason Winnie decides not to drink the water is that she doesn't want to be miserable. She understands that if she drinks the water, she will be stuck in this eternity forever.

A fifth reason Winnie decides not to drink the water is because Jesse, her love interest, initially tells her not to because she doesn't know what will happen to her if she drinks it. Jesse tends to change his mind often and eventually decides he does want Winnie to drink from the spring. She chooses to decide for herself. She does not drink the water, has a long and happy life and dies when she is an old woman.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Wow.  Five reasons might be a bit tough.  

One reason I think that she didn't drink the water is that Winnie never truly believed it would work.  Even by the end of the novel, Winnie's internal monologue hints at her slight disbelief that the spring water actually grants eternal life.  Her reticence to drink the water makes sense, because she never actually sees any proof from the Tucks that they are immortals.   

A second reason is that she doesn't have the bottle of spring water any more.  She poured it over the toad.  

A third reason could be because the wood and spring were bulldozed over at some point in Winnie's later life.  

A fourth reason is likely because of Tucks' talk with her.  He told her how much he misses being a part of the natural living and dying cycle of the world.  He misses being able to change with the world around him.  

A fifth reason could be that Winnie gets caught up in living her regular, natural life after the Tucks leave.  The epilogue says that Winnie got married and had children.  Winnie simply could have decided that she loved her current life and people in it more than the chance to live forever with Jesse.  

Approved by eNotes Editorial