Winnie Foster’s Self-Awareness in Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting

Abstract

The research article aims at analyzing 1) the self-awareness portrayed by the protagonist Winnie Foster in Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting; and 2) the reasons behind such portrayals. The qualitative method is used, and the findings are reported in the form of a descriptive analysis. The study finds that Winnie portrays self-awareness, and it is presented three times. For the first time, Winnie’s self-awareness is seen when she runs away from home into Treegap woods, owned by the Fosters. For the second time, the self-awareness is shown when she replaces Mae Tuck in jail before Mae is hanged. For the third time, it is portrayed when she chooses to be what she has always been instead of being immortal. The study also identifies the reasons behind such portrayals. Winnie runs away from home into the woods because of the strictness of her family and the need to discover the source of secret sound of music floating from the woods. She decides to replace Mae Tuck in jail because she loves all the Tucks. The accountability for her family and the results of immortal life she learns from the Tucks cause Winnie to choose to be what she has always been instead of being immortal. Self-awareness is displayed through Winnie’s decisions which are made by herself when she runs away into the woods, replaces Mae in jail, and chooses to be normal and mortal as she has always been. Winnie uses self-awareness by herself to serve not only her personal interests but also for the benefit of others’.