Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury

Plot summary: Characters: Make sure you give me details about them. Label protagonist and
antagonist.
Douglas finds out he is alive and wants to enjoy his life. But he is 1)Douglas: protagonist, dynamic. He is twelve, and he looks at things
attacked by the death of the story-telling Colonel Freeleigh, the passing of differently. He becomes more aware of the passing of time, life, and
his beloved Great-grandma, and the departure of his best friend John friendship or love.
Huff. In the end, he finds out that he is alive and that he also someday
will die, he wants it or not. Around his town, Bill Forrester learns some
truths of life from Miss. Helen Loomis and Grandfather. Aunt Rose is
dismissed from her “vacations” at her family’s house for organizing and
ruining Grandma’s cooking. Leo Aufmann establishes that real happiness 2)Tom: supporting character, static. He is Douglas’s brother, and he likes
is not found in a machine, but the family. And the whole town gets to re- counting the rituals of his life, like the peas he ate…
use all the “junk” from the other side of the town thanks to the kind-
hearted Mr. Jonas.

3)The Lonely One: antagonist, static. He went around murdering people,

especially women-until Lavinia Nebbs herself dispatches him with
her sewing scissors. He represents evil and death, and the entire
town fears him.

Themes: Conflict(s): Make sure you include the type and who is involved.

It is important to appreciate life and live it without regrets Internal: Doug vs. himself with how to control time
External: The town vs. The Lonely one
People and places continue to exist in your mind, even after they are
gone, if you allow them to live inside of you, they never really disappear. Climax: When Douglas gets better from his sickness.

Evidence of the Themes: (continue the back or next page if necessary) Point of View:

Theme 1: pages 131-132, Colonel Freeleigh says he is glad of sharing his 3rd person omniscient
knowledge with others.
Page 184: Great-Grandma is glad of her life and content with death.
Theme 2: page 136: Douglas claims that all the people Colonel Freeleigh Setting:
would talk about are dead because he died.
Page 183: Great-grandma tells Douglas that she will always be present in Green Town, Illinois, 1928
her family.