Discussion Topic
Winnie's interaction with the toad in "Tuck Everlasting"
Summary:
Winnie's interaction with the toad in "Tuck Everlasting" symbolizes her longing for companionship and freedom. She confides in the toad, expressing her frustrations and desires, which highlights her feelings of isolation and her struggle with the constraints of her sheltered life.
In "Tuck Everlasting", why does Winnie talk to the toad?
Winnie's words to the toad on page 15 are as follows: "It'd be better if I could be like you, out in the open and making up my own mind." Winnie is speaking to the toad in an attempt to express her own feelings. She feels trapped by her life, her community, and her family. She wants to be able to make her own decisions and to travel and see the world.
What Winnie learns after this encounter, once she has had time to interact with the Tucks, is that freedom isn't all it is cracked up to be. The Tucks are actually sad at being as 'free' as they are, and wish there were limits on their life. Winnie benefits from their experience and chooses a mortal life as a result, although she does convey immortality onto the toad.
What does Winnie express to the toad in Tuck Everlasting?
Winnie expresses her own personal...
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thoughts and desires to the toad. She basically uses the toad in two ways. First, the toad is a bit of a confessional. She admits her secret desires to it.
"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 want to be by myself for a change."
Winnie is an only child, and her family is a good example of a "hovering" family. Winnie cannot do anything without her family's approval or general supervision. She yearns for some space and freedom. That is what the above quote shows. She tells the toad these thoughts instead of telling her family.
The second way that Winnie generally talks to the toad is that she uses the toad as a sounding board for new ideas.
"I'll never be able to do anything important if I stay in here like this. I expect I'd better run away." She paused and peered anxiously at the toad to see how it would receive this staggering idea, but it showed no signs of interest. "You think I wouldn't dare, don't you?" she said accusingly. "I will, though. You'll see. Maybe even first thing in the morning, while everyone's still asleep."
Obviously, as the quote states, the toad is not capable of giving Winnie feedback on her ideas; however, the toad does not need to give feedback. Winnie is simply stating some of her ideas out loud to give voice to them. By saying certain things out loud, it makes them more real. She is essentially "trying on" an idea in order to see how it feels.